


We Are Here, Together

by Tempest_Type0



Category: Final Fantasy Type-0
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-13 00:25:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 105,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11748294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempest_Type0/pseuds/Tempest_Type0
Summary: To everyone else, Ace was guarded and reserved, one of the most aloof members of Class Zero. For Deuce though, he was anything but. Together, the two of them were just a couple of crimson-caped cadets in love.





	1. We Have Arrived

    “Walk on, wandering souls. For your respite we pray. Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay. Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free. So walk on and become the light that guides the way.”

    His quiet voice drifted through the air, the calm notes ringing with a hint of somberness. Ending his song with a faint sigh, the youth glanced at the horizon with sharp, light blue eyes. Light gray clouds covered the sky, covering the ranch in shadow but with little threat of rain. A small breeze blew through, rustling his short blond hair, the edges of his white pants, and the crimson cape wrapped around his neck.

    Today was the day.

    He raised a hand to the giant bird in the pen in front of him to stroke its neck, causing the chocobo to warble softly and nudge his shoulder. His lips curved up in a small smile and he watched the creature fondly as it enjoyed his treatment of its feathers.

    “Ace?”

    The young man looked up to see a girl with long, tied back brunette hair approaching, her plaid red skirt and the crimson cape wrapped around her neck and shoulders like a scarf swaying as she moved. Like him, she wore a black jacket with gold shoulder pauldrons and black shoes—part of the uniform that all cadets in their class wore, though the twelve of them hadn’t been at Akademeia for long.

    “What is it, Deuce?”

    “Oh, umm…we were just wondering where you had gone, that’s all. So I came to find you.”

    Ace turned to face her fully, his eyes slightly widened, partly in curiosity and partly in surprise. “And you came here? How did you know…?”

    “You like chocobos, right?” said Deuce, her dark turquoise eyes meeting his light blues. “And Cater was talking about how she had heard about one of us appearing here at the ranch occasionally, so I thought you were the one.”

    “I see,” Ace muttered, patting the chocobo on the beak once. “I have been coming here by myself recently. I guess there are no secrets when we’ve lived together for so long.”

    At these words, Deuce’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand briefly before nervously clasping her hands together in front of her chest. “D-Did you want to be alone? I’m sorry for disturbing you!”

    “It’s okay,” responded Ace, shrugging slightly as he glanced at the horizon again. “…I don’t mind that you’re here.”

    Deuce breathed out a sigh of relief. Ace wasn’t angry with her, but she still felt a little guilty for intruding on his time alone. Though he seemed to be okay with her presence, it was sometimes hard to tell what Ace was thinking. They may have been raised together and lived together for several years now, but that cool exterior and mature manner of speaking of his still made it difficult to tell what was on his mind, even as he spoke genially to her.

    Silently, she walked up beside him and he turned his head to look at her again. At a glance, he could tell something was bothering her from the set of her shoulders and the uneasy look in her eyes. His brow furrowed slightly as he examined her quietly, trying to figure out the cause of her distress. She blinked confusedly under his intense gaze.

    “What is it…?” she inquired, tilting her head slightly.

    She often did that when she was confused, Ace noted before realizing that she had asked him a question. He never was the best at making conversation.

    If she were to be perfectly honest, Deuce was quite fond of Ace. She was fond of all of her classmates, but she was especially fond of him for many reasons, his maturity and leadership in their group of twelve being just a couple. Outsiders may have thought him a bit cold and guarded, but she and their other classmates knew better.

    “You look troubled,” he said, turning to face her fully.

    Biting her lip briefly, Deuce lowered her gaze to his chest. “I’m just a bit nervous about the upcoming operation. We’ve never been sent out like this before and there is a lot riding on us.”

    “As long as everyone is prepared, we’ll be fine,” murmured Ace in a reassuring voice. “We’ve been training for this and Mother made the decision to send us out. She thinks we’re ready.”

    There was the Ace that she knew, the one that most others outside their group didn’t see. His gentle voice lulled her into a sense of comfort and safety and suddenly she was very glad that she had come to find him.

    “Y-You’re right! As long as the twelve of us are together, we can do it!” Deuce agreed, nodding her head. “…But I am still a little nervous about it…”

    With a low hum in his throat, Ace placed his hands on his hips and looked to the side as he thought. “You’re going with Trey and Cinque,” said Ace calmly. “Don’t worry. They won’t let anything happen to you.”

    “I know, but…”

    A small teasing smirk pulled at his lips and Ace turned back to her and leaned in slightly, causing Deuce to blush at their incredibly close proximity. “And if they aren’t enough, you can call for me. I’ll come protect you.”

    “Ace!” exclaimed Deuce, putting her left hand to his chest to lightly push him back and giving him a small pout. It was times like this when Deuce would remember that the cool and mature Ace she admired was still a sixteen-year-old boy with mischievous tendencies. “You’re making fun of me!”

    “I’m sorry, Deuce. I couldn’t resist.” Ace chuckled, bringing his right hand up to gently wrap around the hand she had on his chest. As his laughter tapered off, she could feel the rumble of his chest calm and the warmth of his body seep through to her fingers.

    All at once, the mood changed once more, as quickly as his teasing had changed it. He gripped her hand slightly, keeping her close in front of him. Her cheeks flushed, she stared at their hands on his chest with his fingers wrapped around hers. Looking at her shyness and uncertainty, his eyes softened.

    “A-Ace…”

    “Deuce, I meant what I said,” Ace stated in a low, serious voice. “If you need help, call out. Don’t hesitate. I will come for you.”

    Her mouth slightly open with surprise, Deuce looked up at him—at the sincerity in his eyes—and she felt warmth spread through her body.  “Ace…”

    The two stood in silence for a brief moment, their eyes locked together and his hand still wrapped around hers. A smile pulled at Deuce’s lips. This was her Ace—the one she knew existed behind the cold, piercing gaze and sharp wit that he showed others. He made her feel safe and secure.

    “Do you feel better?” inquired Ace, his voice still low and serious.

    Deuce nodded slowly, her voice caught in her throat from the warmth, and smiled sweetly at him. In response, a small smile made its way onto his face and he gently released her hand. “Just do what you can,” he said softly. “We’ll get through it.”

    Had they been in the presence of the others, Ace wouldn’t have dared to say or do such maudlin things. But they were on the precipice of something important—something that would have them recorded in history—and Deuce needed the reassurance. Of course, he’d never admit out loud that he had a bit of a soft spot for the girl in front of him as well.

    “Thank you, Ace…” murmured Deuce, breaking their shared gaze. Part of her wanted to hug him, but the other part was too shy to. After all, she wasn’t quite sure where his boundaries were with this unguarded side of him.

    “You’re welcome,” Ace answered simply, turning back to the chocobo once more.

    An awkward silence set between them while Deuce gathered up her thoughts and Ace watched the chocobo, occasionally sneaking glances back at the girl beside him. The two of them rarely spent time alone together. As with most of their classmates, they either spent time all together or just by themselves. That was simply how they had gotten used to living together. What were they supposed to do or say?

    Minutes later, Ace sighed. “We should join the others. It’ll be time soon.”

    Glancing at the horizon, Deuce nodded in agreement. “Mother asked us to gather at the Internal Branch site, didn’t she?”

    “Yeah.” Ace adjusted the leather straps across his chest and waist holding the small satchel to his side. “Let’s go.”

    They made their way to the nearby portal, teleporting to the site. When they arrived, nine others clad in similar uniforms as the two of them stood around the area, some simply standing and others twiddling with their weapons.

    “Ah, you managed to find him, Deuce!” commented Jack, his hands folded up casually behind his spiky dark blond head of hair. “You’re good! Eight and I looked and couldn’t find him.”

    Eight, who was standing next to Jack nodded, his short reddish hair rustling with the movement. “As long as you made it,” Eight said, brushing his combat gloves together. “We’re still waiting for Cinque to show up.”

    “Does everyone know their assignments for the operation?” inquired Queen as she looked at the group. She held a manila folder with one hand and adjusted her long, straight, black hair with the other before turning to Nine with a mildly accusatory look.  “You did read the briefing, didn’t you?”

    “Heh, no way, Queen,” Nine retorted, putting a hand to his unkempt dark blond hair. “I just gotta go in and kill things, right?”

    Queen sighed. “That’s not quite what the briefing says…”

    “Perhaps we should go over it before Mother arrives,” suggested King, his long, slicked-back blond hair rustling as he turned.

    “We just need to know our teams and to wipe out all the enemies!” Cater interjected, smoothing out the tips of her flared auburn hair before twirling her pistol in her hand.

    Sice sniggered, nodding her head in agreement and causing the ends of her tied up silvery hair to bob slightly. “Hope it’s not too hard for anyone.”

    Beside her, the other silver-haired member of the team opened her own manila folder. Seven cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “The deployment teams are as follows: Ace, Queen, and Nine; Deuce, Trey, and Cinque; Cater and Eight; Sice and King; and Jack and myself. Our goal is to eliminate all enemy troops from the city and assist in any dominion maneuvers.”

    “Dominion maneuvers?” muttered Nine. “What the heck do they mean by that, yo?”

    “Currently, our forces are fighting on both the front and here in the capital due to the Milites Empire launching this task force to attack the Peristylium. It seems that the enemy has a weapon that nullifies the power of our Crystal such that our forces cannot use magic,” explained Trey, glancing up past his long blond bangs with a thoughtful look. “But we are able to and so it falls to us to destroy the Crystal Jammer. Presumably, once the Crystal Jammer is destroyed, our forces will be able to launch a counteroffensive. We may be asked to assist in such—”

    “I’m late! I’m late!” a cry came, interrupting Trey.

    All of the sudden, Cinque appeared from the portal, her long braided ginger hair slapping against her back and the twirls of hair framing her face swaying, and ran in to join the others.

    “Well, that’s all of us,” said Jack with a grin. “Guess we’d better get ready to go.”

    “Do you know which team you’re on, Cinque?” questioned Queen.

    Cinque nodded. “I’m with Deucey and Tre-Tre!”

    Just then, the portal activated again and a bespectacled woman with dark haired tied back in a headband walked out. Dr. Arecia Al Rashia lifted her pipe to her lips and smiled at the group as she approached Ace and Deuce. “Are you ready, darlings?”

    “I think so,” replied Ace, putting his hands on his hips. “Are we being deployed now, Mother?”

    “Indeed,” said Dr. Arecia. “You’re to take back control of the capital as soon as possible. However, your COMMs are not yet prepared. They will be sent out with the legionary Ace asked to help. Your current orders are to eliminate any enemies that you come across in the capital. Once you receive your COMMs, we will give you further orders. Understood?”

    The twelve teenagers nodded in response.

    “The twelve of you are the only ones who can carry out this operation,” added Dr. Arecia, a serious look in her eye. “This is your destiny. Don’t allow anyone to stand in the way of fulfilling it.”

    “We won’t, Mother,” Queen answered assuredly.

    Dr. Arecia smiled once more before turning to leave. “You darlings make me so proud.  And don’t forget, darlings, Mother is always watching over you.”

    “Yes, Mother!” chorused the team as Dr. Arecia turned and left through the portal.

    Trey put a hand to his chin. “Destiny? Mother certainly seemed quite assured of our success.”

    “‘Cause we’re gonna beat ‘em all up, Tre-Tre!” chimed Cinque, putting a fist into the air. “Hit ‘em hard and kick ‘em out!”

    “Sure, sure, real easy,” Jack said nonchalantly. “Is it time to get going?”

    “Wait! We shouldn’t go out into the streets as we are,” said Queen, pointing to a box near Ace’s feet. “Put on your cloak. Everyone, put on your cloaks.”

    Cater wrinkled her nose at the hooded dull red cloak Deuce pulled out from the box. “Why do we have to wear these things? They’re for the legionaries!”

    “We need to be able to get through the lines quickly and without interference from anyone else,” said Eight, throwing the cloak over his shoulders. “The other cadets don’t know of us, so we would surely be stopped. If we’re dressed as legionaries though, no one will think it suspicious even if they do not recognize our faces.”

    “You’ll be able to take it off as soon as Ace gives the signal at the deployment site,” assured Seven, adjusting the edges of her hood. “But until then, keep it on.”

    At the side, Ace pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and reached down to make sure he could access his satchel easily. He turned to Deuce, suppressing a chuckle at how her hood covered her eyes due to how short she was (not that he was much taller).

    Sparing a quick glance at the others still putting their cloaks on to make sure none of them were looking, Ace reached over and drew the edge of her hood up to see her nervous turquoise eyes. Deuce blushed slightly as he gave her a quick teasing smirk and then pulled her hood back down. He was trying to make her feel more at ease, and she was grateful for it, but her heart was still pounding—for more than one reason.

    “Everyone ready?” asked Ace as he turned back to the others.

    “No, we’re just going to take our sweet time getting dressed while our countrymen are being slaughtered,” said Sice sardonically. “Nice and casual.”

    King looked over the group and gave a low grunt of approval. “We’re ready.”

    “Yeah! Show me the action, yo!” Nine yelled, his spear materializing in his hands. “Let’s go!”

    With that, Nine jogged off into the portal, followed by Cater, Cinque, Sice, and then all the others. They appeared in the main entrance of Akademeia and hurried out through the giant double doors into the courtyard, unprepared for what lay beyond.

    Flames filled the capital, the smoke and ashes in the air stifling their senses as soon as they made it out into the streets. Corpses wearing the same cloaks as them were riddled with bullets and covered in dust all along the cobblestone, while several uniformed cadets wearing different colored capes than them sat brokenly in various spots. A great dragon with metallic scales lay across part of the courtyard, breathing laboriously as blood oozed from its gunshot wounds.

    None of them had been in war before. Their training had them see battle against monsters and each other, but those little skirmishes led to minimal injuries. But now they were surrounded by death, which they neither saw nor understood in their sixteen to seventeen years. Though none of them knew any of the dying or dead, the sight still shook them.

    “Keep moving,” ordered Ace, urging the group onward.

    At the sound of their unofficial leader’s voice, the group snapped back to attention and followed as Ace moved through the streets silently.

    “Your Crystal cannot protect you. Resistance is no longer an option,” announced a voice across the sky. The voice was austere and demanding, that of a leader. It was likely the enemy commander, the Milites Imperial Marshal Cid Aulstyne. “You have six hours. You must comply with our demands or face the full might of our forces—in which case I promise you, the roads of Rubrum will run red with the blood of her people.”

    The group looked up at a giant metal airship hovering over the capital, surrounded by smaller ships. Ace narrowed his eyes, stopping the group just before they entered the plaza. The crimson flag of Rubrum lay on the ground, surrounded by the bodies of both legionaries and cadets alike. On the other side of the plaza stood several Imperial Troopers, armored in silver and gray and armed with guns.

    “We need to take out that airship,” muttered Ace, turning to Jack and Seven. “Bring in Odin.”

    Jack and Seven nodded, walking up to stand on either side of Ace, while the others backed away slightly. The three of them put out their hands, focusing on the spot just in front of Ace. Crackles of energy emerged from their hands and a magic symbol appeared before their outstretched hands.

    “This is terrible…” Deuce murmured, just loud enough for the others to hear.

    “The Empire has proven their ruthlessness,” said Eight calmly, his eyes darting back and forth in search of enemies. “But we can’t back down now.”

    “We must carry out our mission,” Queen agreed quietly. “After all, we’re Agito cadets now.”

    Hearing this statement, Trey cleared his throat. “Only the chosen may enter that land. The chosen will touch all creation, and obtain that which is truth,” recited Trey, just loud enough for the team to hear. “It is reason outside reason—the reason of Agito. It is power—the authority of Agito. The sage proclaims: ‘In all things, there is meaning. In all things, mourning will end. Make your choice: will you choose reason, or the power of kings?’”

    Then a bolt of energy shot down through the sky toward them, piercing through an airship. The wind picked up and flames erupted all around as a giant knight with dark armor, a skull-like face, and glowing red eyes, and his steed materialized in the plaza atop a pile of rubble. The silver clad Imperial Troopers in the area screamed as the knight raised his dark flaming blade and brought it across to his right shoulder before he swung. Instantly, a shockwave moved through the area, throwing aside soldiers and crumbling stone.

    Ace turned, his sharp blue eyes looking over the team before meeting Deuce’s. “And unto him, I reply: ‘I will become Agito. I will sound the knell to shake all the world,’” resumed Ace in reply, before walking away to join Odin in the plaza.

    Smoke and steam hissed from Odin when Ace came forward onto the rubble, stopping to pick up the fallen flag with both hands. The surviving soldiers watched in fear as Ace raised the flag once more and thrust the end into the stones with a resounding clang. Amidst the flames and ash and death, the flag of Rubrum could still fly proudly.

    In a swirl of wind and glowing energy, Odin vanished into one of Ace’s cards. Ace reached out to grasp the card, which floated down from above and sparked with energy. The flames that surrounded him flickered brightly, as those surrounded the Phoenix in rebirth would.

    “When nine and nine meet nine, the depths of reason shall stir,” continued Ace, the others moving in and appearing around him on the rubble, some jumping to land near him. They stood, waiting for the signal. “When the seal of creation is broken, a voice like thunder shall sound, and thou shalt know—”

    There it was. At that, Ace reached down with his left hand to grasp the bottom of his cloak and tugged. A flurry of red cloaks flew into the air, revealing the twelve crimson-caped teenagers, weapons in hand and eyes steeled.

    “We have arrived.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually written a couple years back, but I finally got up the courage to post it after deciding that Type-0 really needed more love! I hope it's a worthy contribution!
> 
> Forgive me for any formatting errors. I'm still getting used to the whole platform...


	2. Acceptance and Kindness

    “Tell me about the others.”

    Deuce tilted her head in confusion as she looked at her brunette companion, sitting in the seat next to her in Classroom Zero. It was early afternoon and the two of them were alone in the classroom (other than Moglin and Aria at their normal posts), the others having gone out to attend to their own interests during the free time.

    Reddish eyes sparkling with intrigue, Rem Tokimiya turned her head and looked at Deuce. She and Machina Kunagiri had joined Class Zero just a few days ago and Rem was eager to learn more about the mysterious crimson-caped cadets that were to be her new classmates. The others, save for Deuce and Cinque, had initially been quite skeptical of the two newcomers and had kept their distance, so Rem had really only had the chance to talk with Deuce for any extended period of time.

    “What do you mean?” asked Deuce.

    “I want to get to know you all,” said Rem with a smile. “We had thought that Class Zero was just an urban legend, we had. But you were all so strong during the liberation. To think you twelve actually existed…”

    Her brow slightly furrowed in thought, Deuce turned her head to look at Rem. “What do you want to know, Rem?”

    “Well…I don’t know much about any of you. So maybe you could tell me whatever comes to your mind about the others,” suggested Rem, putting a hand to her chin thoughtfully. “Anything at all!”

    Slowly mulling this idea over, Deuce gave a quiet hum. After several moments, she nodded and turned back to face the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. “Okay, well…the twelve of us have been together for many years. Mother brought us all together and trained us herself.”

    “So you’re all like a family!”

    A smile made its way onto Deuce’s face. “Yes, I suppose so! We are all unique, but we’ve grown to be a team.”

    “What do you think is special about the others?”

    Deuce pursed her lips slightly, thinking back to a time when she herself had considered the same question. “Hmm…there are many things, I think. But Trey’s thirst for knowledge is second to none! And Cater managed to cast her first spell before any of us had memorized an incantation.”

    “Wow!”

    “For such a cute girl, Cinque is incredibly strong,” continued Deuce, her fondness for her classmates evident in her voice. “Sice can be a bit abrasive, but she always looks after us. And Seven is very perceptive and always maintains her composure. I’m sure Eight could easily run laps around the rest of us. Nine keeps us motivated, and Jack tells the most hilarious jokes.”

    Giggling lightly, Rem nodded. “Yes, I can see that!”

    “Queen is ever so intelligent, and King is our gentle giant…”

    All of the sudden, Deuce stopped, her thoughts turning to the unofficial leader of Class Zero. They hadn’t really spoken after the liberation of the capital, having been swept up in the whirlwind of events following. She wanted to see more of the young man she had seen at the chocobo ranch that day—the sincere, unguarded side of Ace that they rarely saw.

    Rem leaned over, concern on her face. “Deuce?”

    “I-It’s nothing!” Deuce squeaked out as she snapped back to attention. “Then, umm…”

    “Then there’s…Ace?” said Rem, a slow smile making its way onto her features as she noted the mildly starry-eyed look in Deuce’s eyes.

    “Y-Yes, and then there’s Ace…umm…Ace is our leader, in a way. He is quite serious and intelligent, but he is also very kind and sweet. Sometimes he might seem like a loner, but I think he just enjoys the peace and quiet. Even though he can seem a bit cold at times, he is always thinking and planning and he knows just how to keep each of us focused,” stated Deuce, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. “Oh, and he has the most beautiful singing voice! I’d love to accompany him on my flute someday…”

    Surprise briefly shown on her face, Rem then started to giggle again. “Ace sings? I never would have guessed!”

    Just then, Rem’s giggles turned into coughs and Deuce turned, concern written on her face. “Rem! Are you okay?”

    “I-I’m fine…” said Rem, breathing deeply after her coughing fit. “It’s just my asthma. Sometimes it bothers me even when I’m not doing anything strenuous, it does.”

    “O-Okay…if you’re sure…” responded Deuce uncertainly.

    Another smile made its way onto Rem’s face as she mentally returned back to the topic they were discussing. “So, Deuce, is Ace special to you?”

    Shaking her head slightly, Deuce looked at Rem in surprise. “W-What do you mean?”

    “It’s just a feeling, but you seem to know a lot about him,” Rem remarked thoughtfully. “Do the two of you spend a lot of time together?”

    “Not particularly…” murmured Deuce, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hands. “I would like to spend more time with him though!”

    “You should tell him so!” Rem proclaimed confidently. “Perhaps you could spend time between classes together. That’s what Machina and I do.”

    At the mention of the other new member of Class Zero, Deuce turned her head slightly to look at Rem once more. “What do you two do together?”

    “Hmm…most of the time, we just talk and take walks together,” answered Rem, eyes shining fondly. “Sometimes I try to get him to study with me, but Machina likes being outside more, he does.”

    Suddenly, Rem began coughing again, drawing Moglin and Aria’s attention. Deuce turned fully and stood, patting Rem firmly on the back.

    “Maybe you’re getting sick, kupo!” Moglin chirped, waving his hands slightly. “If you need to, make sure to go to the infirmary and get checked!”

    “Or perhaps we should go to Mother?” suggested Deuce. “She takes care of all of us.”

    As she stopped coughing, Rem leaned forward slightly and breathed deeply. “I’ll be okay, really.”

    “I think you should go to see Mother,” Deuce said resolutely, lightly grasping Rem’s forearms. “Come on, I’ll take you there. Mother will make things better.”

    “R-Really, I’ll be fine, Deuce!” exclaimed Rem. “You don’t need to mind me!”

    “No, I do think that it would be better for you to see Mother,” responded Deuce stubbornly, pulling gently on Rem’s sleeves. “Please, Rem, just to make sure.”

    Moglin nodded his head in agreement. “You should go, kupo!”

    “Oh, all right then,” Rem agreed, standing from her seat. “Thank you for your concern.”

    Quietly, the two girls left the classroom and went through the giant portal in the entrance of Akademeia. They soon found themselves standing in a circular red hall with several quaestors and researchers scuttling about. The lone door straight before them was the only one in Sorcery and was labeled, “Dr. Arecia Al Rashia.”

    “Mother?” Deuce asked, knocking on the door.

    “Come in, darling,” came the reply.

    Deuce carefully opened the door and ushered Rem inside. Dr. Arecia turned from her spot in front of one of the bookshelves and eyed Rem silently before looking at Deuce.

    “Mother, Rem has been coughing quite a lot,” Deuce explained. “Could you help her?”

    Dr. Arecia placed her pipe in her mouth, drawing it out a moment later and looking at Rem. “Yes, you’re one of the new members. I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” said Dr. Arecia with a serious look on her face. The archsorceress then turned to Deuce. “Of course I can help, darling. How kind of you to bring her in. Go ahead and return to what you were doing. I’ll take care of it.”

    “Thank you, Mother,” said Deuce, sparing Rem a worried glance before leaving the office.

 

* * *

 

 

    Ace stood, shutting the book he had laid in front of him. He had been in the Crystarium for most of the morning now, reading about Milites technology and their uses. With the war beginning to escalate, he needed to know more about the enemy, but there was scarcely enough information that was actually relevant to their current threat.

    Picking up the far-too-light-for-his-tastes book, Ace walked over to the side shelves to place it back. Just as he slid it into its proper spot on the shelf, a taller boy with dark hair and a crimson cape caught his eye—one of the newest members of Class Zero, Machina. Ace couldn’t quite place it, but Machina reminded him of something or someone and this feeling made him curious.

    “Machina? Looking for something?” inquired Ace, drawing the other boy’s attention.

    An open folder held in his hand, Machina looked over at Ace walking toward him. “Oh…yeah.”

    “‘Capital Liberation Campaign Report’?” Ace read off the top of the first page in the folder. Placing his hands on his hips, Ace tilted his head slightly in confusion. They had both been present at the liberation not even a week ago, when Class Zero revealed their existence to the world. What could Machina be looking for with the report? “What do you want to know?”

    “Oh, y’know. Just some stuff.”

    Suspicion crossed Ace’s sharp eyes as Machina closed the file and slid it back onto the shelf. “I see…”

    “So uh, I guess even Class Zero doesn’t have access to top secret mission reports, huh?” asked Machina, slight hesitation and disappointment in his voice.

    “Only division heads have the authority to read classified mission reports,” said Ace coolly. “Any particular reason you want to know?”

    Machina shook his head lightly, giving Ace a small grin. “Oh, I was just a little curious.”

    Just then, Deuce walked up from the other side of Machina. After leaving the office, she had decided to take Rem’s advice and to talk to Ace. There were really only a few places that Ace was likely to be and the Crystarium happened to be close to the grand portal in Akademeia.

    “Oh, hello! What are you two talking about?” she greeted the two boys genially. Ace gave her a small nod, while Machina just gave her a side glance.

    “Nothing important,” Machina said in reply before nodding to Ace. “See you.”

    With that, Machina turned and walked off abruptly, leaving Ace and Deuce standing rather confused at the bookshelf. Though they didn’t know Machina that well, he seemed to be acting strangely. Ace put his hand to his chin and closed his eyes in thought.

    “Did I happen to interrupt something?” mumbled Deuce, turning to Ace’s silent and pensive form. “…Ace?”

    “There’s something familiar about him,” Ace said in a low voice.

    “'Something familiar,' you say?"

    His sharp blue eyes reopening, Ace breathed out a sigh. “When I look at Machina, I can’t help but feel I’ve met him before.”

    The twelve of them had grown up isolated from the rest of Akademeia and as a result, had few associations with other cadets or citizens in the dominion. Ace had few friends outside of the group and his memory was nothing short of excellent. If he had met Machina before, he would know.

    “What do you mean by that?” Deuce questioned.

    “I don’t know,” muttered Ace, furrowing his brow slightly. “I wish I knew.”

    A brief moment of silence passed before Ace sighed once more and shook his head slightly to clear his mind of his spiraling thoughts. There wasn’t much he could do about that feeling of familiarity toward Machina. It was just a feeling anyhow. Focusing on the girl in front of him, Ace then waited quietly for Deuce to speak.

    Deuce was fidgeting a little, unsure of what to say or do now that she had found him. There were many things she wanted to say to him, but they were potentially embarrassing at the same time. They were definitely in too public a place to have such a conversation.

    “Are you okay?” Ace asked, glancing over her quickly for anything out of place or for any clue as to why she was here. “Do you need something?”

    “Umm…A-Ace, can we talk…?” Deuce managed to say as a mild blush came over her cheeks.

    Luckily for her, Ace found nothing strange about her request and he nodded before saying, “Sure. Let’s head back to the classroom.”

    Calmly, he led her back to the classroom, but to her surprise, he did not stop and sit down in his seat. Instead, he led her out to the back garden, where a light breeze and the smell of the nearby flowers greeted them. Usually, there would be at least one other Class Zero member hanging around here, but they had the place to themselves for the moment.

    “What did you want to talk about?” inquired Ace, his features relaxed and calm now that they were in the garden.

    “I…umm…”

    She had hoped that she would come up with something more intelligible to say during the walk over, but nothing had to come to her. Should she just come out and say it? How was she to explain this to him? How did one ask for more time together anyway? It wasn’t like they were dating or anything. And would her request be too troublesome? Ace seemed so busy now that the war was escalating. She certainly didn’t want to make any trouble for him.

    Suddenly, a pair of piercing blue eyes entered her vision and Deuce jumped back in surprise with a squeak. Ace startled slightly as well before relaxing again. “Deuce? What is it? You’re acting more nervous than before the liberation.”

    That’s right. She had yet to thank him for calming her nerves before the operation. Squaring her shoulders, Deuce breathed in deeply as Ace waited patiently.

    “I-I wanted to thank you! For all the reassurance you gave me before and during the liberation!” said Deuce, her hands coming up to move expressively. “It really helped me!”

    “You’re welcome,” answered Ace with a small grin. “Is that what you were getting so nervous about? I don’t really see why…”

    “And I…”

    Ace watched Deuce intently as she blushed more and struggled with her words. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if thinking of something to say and then deciding not to say it, and her hands quivered with nervousness. While Ace wasn’t oblivious by any stretch of the imagination, he didn’t understand her flustered appearance and stood quite confused. All he knew was that she wanted to say something to him and couldn’t for whatever reason.

    Sensing her discomfort, Ace reached forward and gently grasped her trembling hands in his, ignoring the potential implication of such an act. His goal was to calm her and make her feel better—far more important than his own feelings and confusion.

    “Hey, Deuce, it’s okay,” said Ace in a soft voice. “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

    There he was again—that Ace she felt so strongly for. She breathed in deeply, her eyes looking up from their hands to his concerned face. Their eyes locked to each other, she parted her lips to speak. “I…I want to spend more time with you, Ace…”

    The surprise Ace felt at these words showed in his eyes instantly. A beat passed between them and then Ace blinked in confusion. “You want to spend more time…with me…?”

    Courage building in her heart now that she had said the words to him, Deuce nodded shyly. “Yes, I would like to spend time with you…if you wouldn’t mind…”

    His face reddened slightly and Ace let go of her hands, his thoughts racing. His hesitation wasn’t because he was against spending more time with Deuce. In fact, it was quite the contrary. He and Deuce got along very well together and he enjoyed her company. It was pure surprise and uncertainty. They had been raised together for so long and in those years, she had remained a friendly but respectful distance from him. Why would she ask this of him now?

    Moreover, what did it mean? He had a strange and strong feeling about this whole situation that he couldn’t quite describe or understand. For her to have spoken to him so directly about spending time with him, she perhaps felt a similarly powerful feeling.

    Things were changing very quickly now and both of them knew it. They were beginning to tread into unfamiliar waters, a potentially frightening area, and yet it felt right.

    “Ace…?”

    Her voice called him out of his reverie. Ace blinked several times to refocus and then looked at Deuce again. She was trembling again, her hands held together in front of her skirt as she gazed at him. His silence and reluctance had crumbled her courage and she could only apologize.

    “Deuce, I…” began Ace, not quite knowing how to respond.

    “I’m sorry that this is so sudden,” murmured Deuce, turning to look to the side in embarrassment. “I know that you’re busy. But I like you and I like spending time with you and—” Her eyes widened with the realization of what she said and she couldn’t bring herself to finish. “Oh no…I’m sorry…Please forget I said anything.”

    At that, Deuce pivoted on her heel to leave. His mind reeling, all Ace could think was that she was running away and he couldn’t let her leave without clarifying and resolving the situation at hand. Swiftly, he reached out his hand, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

    “Wait, Deuce, don’t…don’t leave,” Ace said as he found his mental bearings again.

    Ace stepped forward, tugging lightly on her arm to make her face him. Deuce gasped softly as she turned and registered how close he was. With his step forward, he was closer to her than what could be considered strictly friendly. He pulled the hand on her wrist off and brought his other hand up to tilt her chin up to look at him, the intimacy and heightened emotions not lost on either of them. Their eyes met each other once more.

    “I want to spend time with you,” whispered Ace. “I like you too, Deuce.”

    As his words began to sink in, Deuce began to tremble again—this time out of excitement and happiness. A slow smile made its way onto her face, making him smile in response. With their mutual acknowledgment of their rapidly changing relationship, the uncertainty between them began to dissipate. Unable to help herself, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek against the junction of his shoulder and neck. It was an embrace far more intimate than any they had shared before in their almost decade of living together.

    Instantly, she could feel Ace tense up, the muscles in his back tightening under her fingers. The quickened thumping of his heart next to her ear accompanied his body’s tension. He wasn’t the type to hug others, she knew and accepted that. Just knowing how he felt was enough.

    To her surprise, Deuce felt Ace relax with a soft exhale and his firm arms came around to envelop her a moment later. A sense of warmth and safety filled her then, causing Deuce to sigh contently against his collarbone. Ace glanced at her with a fond glint in his eyes before leaning his cheek against the side of her head, comfortably basking in her presence.

    “Ace?”

    “Hmm?”

    “Thank you…”

 

* * *

 

 

    Ace leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath as he stretched for the first time in what seemed like hours. He had been at his desk reading for most of the morning and now the afternoon. Their mission was coming up soon and he needed to read up on as much information about their enemies as possible. With a low groan, he reached up and pulled off his reading glasses, placing them on his book and rubbing his eyes slightly.

    “Maybe we should take a break, Ace?”

    Opening his eyes, Ace turned to Deuce sitting beside him, her turquoise eyes looking worriedly at him. In front of her sat her own book, the one she had been studying from as he read his. He sighed, prompting Deuce to turn to face him, her hand sliding over on the bench and touching his lightly.

    “Yeah…I think we should call it a day,” Ace muttered, his brow knitted in discomfort. “My head hurts a little.”

    Warm fingers touched his cheek and Ace snapped his eyes wide open in surprise. After their moment in the backyard the other day, he and Deuce had slowly and steadily been testing the waters of their changing relationship. Though they undoubtedly had found a certain emotional connection that ran deeper than that of their pseudo-siblings, there was still an air of uncertainty when it came to the limits of their physical affections.

    She bit her lower lip somewhat apprehensively as she guided her fingers up his temple, a low intensity cure spell at her fingertips. As his headache dissipated in her magic, Ace met her gaze and relaxed under her touch, a deep yet content sigh escaping his lips. A smile pulled at Deuce’s lips as she felt the strain leaving his body and he gave her a grateful look.

    “Does it feel better?” she asked softly, pulling her fingers away.

    “Yeah,” he said, mildly disappointed at the far too brief contact. He reddened slightly, turning his head slightly in embarrassment. When had he been disappointed about such a thing? “Thanks.”

    Deuce smiled, her cheeks slightly pink from her boldness. “You’re very welcome.”

    Flipping his book closed, Ace stood, resisting the urge to reach for her while she closed her book as well. He wouldn’t admit it, but he enjoyed her touch much more than he expected. His body felt unusually warm and he craved more. Slowly, he reached over to pick up her book along with his own, lightly brushing her hand with the tips of his fingers.

    “I’ve got it, Deuce,” Ace assured her, highly amused at the deepening blush on her face from their hands touching. It was quite cute, in his opinion. “I’ll carry the books.”

    “Y-You don’t have to, Ace!” answered Deuce shyly. “I can…”

    “Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a small grin as he stepped out from behind the desk and began to walk toward the classroom door. “You coming?”

    “Y-Yes!”

    Soon after, they found themselves standing in front of a bookshelf in the Crystarium. Taking advantage of her temporary distraction, Ace quickly slid his book onto its shelf and silently admired the flutist as she scanned the book titles for the proper spot to put her book. He had never put any thought to pursuing a relationship before, but Deuce had stirred his interest like no other girl had. Part of him wondered whether it was a fascination that had come from seeing her in a new light or a fondness that had built up from their childhood together and just now came to a peak. Perhaps it was both.

    “…To put the book, Ace?”

    Her voice pulled him out of his musings and he gave a small, confused grunt. “Hmm?”

    Turning her head to look over her shoulder at him, Deuce pointed at one of the higher shelves that she was too short to read the titles for. “Could you check to see if that shelf is the proper place to put the book?” she repeated her request.

    “Oh…sure,” replied Ace, sharp eyes quickly surveying the titles on the shelf. He hadn’t meant to get so distracted thinking about her. “Yeah, it should go up here.”

    Leaning over her slightly, Ace reached over to the spot and slid the neighboring book aside to make room for her book. He wasn’t that much taller than her, but the little-more-than-10-centimeter difference meant that he could easily access the shelf, while she had to stand tip-toed. Deuce grabbed her book from his other hand, stretching up to slide it into its proper spot and wobbling slightly on her toes. Instinctively, he placed his hands at her hips to steady her.

    “T-Thank you, Ace,” she mumbled, holding down a squeak of both shock and embarrassment.

    Face turning slightly red again, he let go of her hips, his body almost reluctant to break the contact with hers. “Of course. Ummm…we still have some time before dinner. We could go for a walk in the backyard?”

    “I-I’d love to.”

 

* * *

 

 

    Despite the doubts of the other cadets at Akademeia, Class Zero had quickly adapted to their lives at the Peristylium and established themselves as the newest source of power in the dominion. They had returned from a successful mission not long ago and the others had gone off on their own after reporting to their commanding officer, yet Ace could feel the contention surrounding their entrance into Akademeia as Dr. Arecia’s “precious children.” He had gone to her office with the intention of speaking to her about this, but had instead accidentally overheard a harrowing conversation.

    Ace stood silently outside Dr. Arecia’s office door, the angry words of the Commandant and the threatening rebuttals of the archsorceress ringing in his mind. The name Izana Kunagiri stirred a feeling inside him, one that the Crystal had buried when the man died and one that had resurfaced with Machina joining their class.

    “Kunagiri…” muttered Ace as he stepped past Machina and made his way back to the grand hall of Akademeia. “Because of me…?”

    “Ace!”

    “Deuce…?”

    At the sound of his name, Ace snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Deuce walking toward him with a smile on her face. He must have looked troubled as her face suddenly looked worried and she touched his arm reassuringly. “Are you okay, Ace?”

    “Y-Yeah, I was just…thinking about something,” he answered, eyes guarded and lowered contemplatively. The warmth of her hand was comforting. “It’s nothing.”

    “You shouldn’t keep it bottled up if it bothers you, Ace,” Deuce said softly, retracting her hand from his forearm slowly. “But if you don’t want to say it, I won’t bother you about it. I just…I’m willing to listen if you need someone to talk to, okay?”

    His blue eyes softened and he gave her a thankful look. Her kindness was always so pervading in what she said and did. It was part of why he favored her over the others. “It’s not something we should talk about here…don’t worry about it. You called me for something?”

    “Oh! I…I thought that since it was such a nice day outside, we could go outside for a walk…” she responded, glancing at the nearby window for a moment. “But if you don’t feel like it…”

    She trailed off, turquoise eyes filled with hesitation. It was clear that she didn’t want to make him feel forced to do anything with her, even though she wanted dearly to go outside with him. No matter how much they had to do, they still craved each other’s company and tried their best to have time to be together. Usually, once they were done with their work for the day, they would rest in the back garden or Class Zero’s dorm or take a walk through Akademeia. Evidently, today was a day for the latter, as Deuce had delighted in the warming weather that marked the beginning of spring. And if there was one thing that Ace knew he wanted for Deuce, it was to make her happy. The thought of her sweet smile had made any mental resistance to the idea essentially nonexistent.

    “That sounds…nice,” Ace said, cracking a grin to assure her that he was completely on board with the idea. “Let’s go.”

    A look of surprise crossed her features before quickly being replaced by a joyful one. She nodded in agreement and smiled, causing the feelings of confusion and uncertainty from before to vanish, temporarily dissipated from his mind. Gracefully, she stepped past him toward the door to the Fountain Courtyard and he followed—as she had always hoped.

 

* * *

 

 

    Nine leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes with the intent to take a nap out of boredom. The classroom was unusually empty on this calm day. Only he and King remained in the room with Moglin and Aria, with King staring out the window as per usual.

    Just then, King straightened up, his eyes furrowing slightly to focus on something outside the window. “Hmm. That’s a rare sight,” King rumbled to himself.

    “What’dya talking about, yo?” asked Nine, his arms crossed behind his head.

    “Ace and Deuce,” answered King. “They’re taking a walk outside.”

    “What’s weird about that?”

    King chuckled briefly before relaxing back into his seat. “It doesn’t happen very often.”

    “Sure, whatever,” Nine said with a yawn.

    The door to the classroom opened and Queen walked in, a heavy tome in her arms. She was followed by Cinque and Cater, who were both also carrying a couple thick books. The three girls walked down toward the front desk closest to the window, placing the books at the outermost seat, where Ace usually sat.

    “Geez, what are these books, Queen?” questioned Cater, putting a hand on a large dark green volume. “We’re not going to have to read these, are we?”

    “There sure are a lot of them…” said Cinque, glancing at the covers of each of the books.

    Queen adjusted her glasses. “These are all the records and reports that we have detailing Militesi warfare, including the information about their known l’Cie. Ace and I were going to—have any of you seen Ace?”

    “He’s outside taking a walk with Deuce!” announced Nine.

    Almost immediately, the three girls’ eyes widened with surprise. Cater was the first to speak. “Wait, Ace is outside? Taking a walk? With Deuce?”

    “See for yourself,” King suggested, pointing out the window toward one of the outer paths near the front courtyard.

    Cinque and Cater rushed to the window near King, looking out at where the older boy was pointing to, with Queen following shortly behind. From the window, they could see the two crimson-caped cadets walking down the path side-by-side. At the distance they were at, it was difficult to tell, but it seemed that they were walking quite closely to each other.

    “Ooh, Acey and Deucey are taking a walk together!” squealed Cinque happily. “They’re cute!”

    “Yeah, when did they start acting like Machina and Rem?” Cater asked with a snicker, causing Nine to laugh and King to chuckle. “Deuce has some explaining to do!”

    Furrowing her brow slightly, Queen turned and walked back to the books, picking up the topmost volume. “I guess I’ll get started and just leave these here for him.”

    As Queen sat down and began to read accompanied by the sounds of Cinque and Cater chattering about the sight, a light breeze passed through the courtyard and paths outside. Ace and Deuce strolled contently down the bricked path, their capes rustling with the gentle wind.

    “We’ve certainly been getting quite a few stares today,” commented Deuce, glancing at yet another couple of cadets that were blatantly watching the two of them. “I wonder why.”

    Shrugging his shoulders slightly, Ace gave a low humming sound in response. There were many reasons he could think of for people staring at them, but he had little interest in other people to begin with. Instead, his focus was on Deuce, though he had said very little as they strolled down the path.

    They had passed through the courtyard on the way to the outer path that wrapped around Akademeia, smelling the sea salt that permeated through the air around them. Though the courtyard had been filled with cadets, few tended to walk this path, allowing the two of them to simply enjoy each other’s company.

    “Ace?”

    “Hmm?”

    Deuce paused, stepping in front of Ace with a shy look on her face. His eyebrow arched in curiosity, Ace watched as Deuce looked up at him and blushed lightly. A smug smirk pulled at his lips. He had come to terms with his interest toward her in the recent weeks when they spent most of their time together, but she had the tendency to blush whenever she was embarrassed at her thoughts or feelings; many of which, he speculated, had been centered on him. Eventually, he figured, they would get past this habit of hers, but in the back of his mind, he still found it rather cute when she did something like this.

    Just as he thought that, Deuce ducked her head slightly and shook her head. “Sorry, never mind,” she said. She then spun on her heel to continue their walk, apparently having abandoned whatever idea she had in her mind.

    Sighing under his breath, Ace reached out to grab her shoulder, turning her back around gently. Deuce looked back up at him, her head tilted slightly in question. In response, he looked at her with a stoic expression on his face.

    “Tell me what’s wrong,” he ordered in a low, but firm voice.

    It was the same voice he used on missions to command the others and she tensed slightly as a force of habit before mentally shaking it off. They weren’t on a mission now, but she felt compelled to follow all the same. Yet did she want to tell him what she was thinking? When she had stopped him, she thought she had worked up enough courage to ask. Meeting his calm yet attentive gaze though, had made her rethink that.

    When she still didn’t say anything, Ace narrowed his eyes a little. He would have to try a different approach, one that seemed to have a far better success rate. Silently, he brought up his hands and grasped her forearms, leaning in slightly to look into her eyes. “Deuce…”

    “A-Ace…”

    “What are you thinking?”

    “Seven…Seven asked me why we had been spending so much time together…” murmured Deuce, her blush intensifying from their closeness. “And I wonder if the others have noticed…”

    Ace chuckled low in his throat. Of course the others had noticed. Seven might have been the most perceptive of the group, but they had been so blatant about their spending time together that even Jack would have noticed by now. Incidentally, Rem had cheekily made a similar comment to him back when they had first begun to transition into their routine of being together after classes.

    “Don’t worry about the others,” he said calmly. “And what happened?”

    “I told her that I enjoy spending time with you!” responded Deuce innocently.

    Surely she was aware of what the others were likely to think. In all honesty, Ace had never given much thought to romantic relationships, but that didn’t mean he was unaware of such things. While he had yet to fully understand what exactly she and he were to be, he was well aware of the potential implications of their actions.

    “Well, that’s good,” he quipped, a hint of humor in his voice. “I’m glad you haven’t gotten bored of me.”

    “I could never get bored of you!” replied Deuce in an insistent tone, before lowering her eyes and mumbling something softly.

    “Hmm? What was that last part?” Ace inquired, tilting his head down to watch her inquisitively. “D-Deuce…?”

    He could have sworn he heard her say something. It seemed she was being more evasive than usual, likely due to her embarrassment over the topic. She was still quite shy when it came to him, something that he intended to remedy eventually. But part of him had to admit that he enjoyed taking advantage of her bashfulness to tease her on occasion. For now, he needed to find out why she was bothered by the others noticing their time together.

    “What’s bothering you then?” Ace drew his hands down her forearms to lightly take her hands in his. She seemed to become more open when they had physical contact. “You told her the truth, right?”

    Deuce nodded, her eyes focused on his hands covering hers. “Yes, but then…she asked if we were dating…”

    Ah, that was probably the crux of her embarrassment. Yes, they had admitted to each other that they liked and felt strongly for one another, but they hadn’t technically defined their evolving relationship. He had fully planned to formally ask her at some point. However, with the rising tensions of the war and the constant preparing for missions, he hadn’t had time to think about it.

    “And…what did you tell her?”

    Suddenly self-conscious under his gaze, Deuce ducked her head to the side. “T-The truth, of course! We haven’t been…going on dates or anything of the sort…”

    That last statement had a hint of longing to it. Ace held back a smirk. Deuce was always so emotionally honest, even when she was trying to conceal her feelings. Breathing in deeply to think, Ace then nodded slowly as he came to a decision and released her left hand.

    With his now free hand, Ace placed his palm against her cheek as gently as he could manage and turned her toward him. If possible, Deuce reddened even more deeply. Light blue eyes met turquoise.

    “Do you want to be?” asked Ace, his voice low yet inviting.

    Blushing furiously and hesitant to speak, Deuce slowly nodded, causing Ace to unconsciously nod his head in response. He took his hand off her cheek, only for her to raise her hand and press it back against her skin. A brief look of surprise crossed his face before his lips curled into a warm smile.

    It was a rare sight to see Ace smiling so and Deuce couldn’t help but smile sweetly back. His hand was slightly rough against her cheek, but incredibly warm and comforting at the same time. All of the sudden, she felt his other hand against the small of her back. She hadn’t even been aware that he’d released her right hand. Pressing lightly, the other hand brought her closer to him and he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

    “Then I’m yours, Deuce,” Ace said quietly but sincerely. “I want to make you happy.”

    “Ace…”

    Eventually, they separated and returned to their walk. The couple had only walked a couple steps when Ace felt her touch his hand and then withdraw shyly. It seemed to be a bit of a trend in their newly upgraded relationship—her hinting at the next step she hoped to take and him following through. He wouldn’t disappoint her. Ace turned his head, flashing a quick smile at her before taking her hand in his and entwining their fingers.

 

* * *

 

 

    “Oh, how sweet,” commented Rem, grabbing Machina’s sleeve to draw his attention out the window in the entrance hall. “Look.”

    Groaning under his breath, Machina bent over Rem to glance out the window at where the girl was pointing. It wasn’t unusual for Rem to point out other cadets and their relationships to him, perhaps as a subtle harmless taunt to his own hesitation to do the same with her. To his surprise, he saw two crimson-caped cadets walking down the path, their hands intertwined between them.

    “Ace and Deuce?” muttered Machina. “I didn’t know they were…”

    “I suppose she finally talked to him,” Rem giggled. “I’m glad.”

    The two watched as Ace and Deuce approached the path that led into the fountain courtyard. Just before they entered the courtyard, Ace stopped, raising their entwined hands and adjusting his hand such that he was holding hers by the fingers. He said something to Deuce, who nodded with a blush, and then brought her hand to his lips in a gentlemanly manner. They dropped their hands afterwards, entering the fountain courtyard as companions, but not noticeably a couple.

    “Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed that Ace could be like that,” said Machina, straightening up. “I mean, he’s always so cool and serious.”

    “Well, now I can see what Deuce was saying,” remarked Rem. “Sometimes cold, but still kind and sweet…just like you, Machina!”

    Machina reddened at this comment, looking away from Rem in embarrassment. “D-Don’t tease me like that, Rem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I must have played through a dozen different scenarios for how Ace and Deuce would get together...and ultimately decided on this, haha. I'd love to hear how anyone else sees them becoming a couple!


	3. Growing Feelings

    The sun had just set when Deuce found Ace in the common room, his figure barely visible in the shadow of the fading light from the window. In his hand sat a small book, propped up on his bent leg, while he sat with his back against the wall to the side of the window bench. As usual, he seemed intensely focused on his reading. There was something strange though. She couldn’t see the title, but it didn’t seem like one of the military reference books he was often seen studying.

    “Good evening, Ace,” she greeted him, just loud enough for him to hear.

    Instantly, his attention snapped up from his book to her and his blue eyes widened slightly before he breathed out a “Hey…” and then cleared his throat in an almost embarrassed manner. “I...uhh...was just wondering where you were.”

    “Me too. I came to find you.”

    She approached him and he immediately shifted to drop his leg and give her space to sit next to him, closing the book and placing it face down behind him in one smooth motion. Placing his right hand on his knee, he watched as she sat down delicately, clearly trying not to invade his space too much but still wanting to be close to him. Theirs was a strange position to be in, officially dating yet not entirely sure how to act toward each other in such a capacity.

    “How was your day?” he asked as she turned to him.

    “Mmm, it was okay. I just studied and practiced my flute.” She gave him a bashful look, a light pink coloring her cheeks. “...I missed you.”

    He had been out with King and Sice for most of the day, attending to a task for the Commandant, and she had found herself restless in his absence. The breaks she normally took with him had seemed far too lonely without his comforting presence. It was natural, she supposed, that she would become this accustomed being beside him. After all, she had only wanted to be together with him since they were carefree children chasing each other around the Remote Branch.

    A shy smile curled his lips and he flipped the hand he had on his knee around, looking at her in silent offer. Her eyes lit up with wordless joy and she slowly placed her hand in his, their fingers interlacing adoringly and effortlessly.

    “I missed you too, Deuce. I’m glad you’re here.”

    His words filled her with warmth. Feeling bold, she scooted closer to him and laid her head against his shoulder, careful not to startle him. He watched silently as she did so, doing his best to contain the myriad of emotions bubbling in his chest. When she tilted her head to look up at him with that blush on her face though, he couldn’t help but redden slightly. She really was unbelievably cute like that.

    “How did the mission go?” she questioned curiously.

    “It was fine. I didn’t think we’d talk all that much, but the three of us ended up having a lot of time on our hands while we were searching for the targets. Turns out Sice wants a new pair of stockings. And King really wants to invest in a weather-proof suit.”

    Deuce gave a small giggle. “I wouldn’t have guessed. It sounds like you really bonded.”

    “That's...one way to put it,” he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him before leaning his head against hers. “You should come along next time.”

    “I'd like that,” she murmured, squeezing his hand lightly.

    They sat in silence for a couple minutes, enjoying each other’s presence and comfort. Ace seemed content to let her nestle against him, something that she knew he wouldn’t let anyone else do, and it made her a little giddy to think that she was special to him. Acknowledgment while he was reading, let alone making him stop in his reading, was reserved for the few people in his life he respected and cared for.

    Speaking of reading, what was that book he had been reading before she found him? Deuce had never fancied herself an overly curious person, but the small yet thick book Ace had set aside was such a departure from his regular heavy textbooks and reference books that she couldn’t help but wonder. Perhaps it was an epic adventure novel or a thrilling mystery? She nudged him softly with the crown of her head, drawing his attention.

    “Hmm?”

    “What were you reading before I came in?” she asked, turning to him inquisitively. “It didn’t seem like the reference books you usually read…”

    To her surprise, Ace instantly blushed a rather deep shade of red. “Uhh...well, it isn’t, but it’s still important for me to read.”

    “What is it?”

    “You...umm...you look at it.”

    The hand he had on her waist drifted off, grabbing the book from behind him before moving back to offer it to her. She took the paperback from him, the title still face down as he passed it to her. Carefully, she flipped it over and immediately had to suppress a giggle.

    “‘The Cadet’s Guide to Intimate Interpersonal Relationships’?” said Deuce, holding back a laugh at how different the title was from what she expected. “So it is still a reference book!”

    “I don't...have much experience with...this,” he muttered hesitantly. “And I don't want to screw it up. You deserve a good boyfriend, Deuce.”

    She practically melted at his words, snuggling up to him again lovingly after placing the book back behind them. For someone who spent so much time by himself before they became a couple, Ace was remarkably good at making her feel loved. Then again, Ace was amazingly sensitive like that and it only made her fonder of him.

    “You are so sweet, Ace. You are a wonderful boyfriend,” she assured him wholeheartedly. “I hope that I can be as good a girlfriend for you as you are a boyfriend for me.”

    “You are,” he replied quietly yet no less sincerely. “I…”

    Just then, the door opened and the two of them looked up from their conversation. Machina walked in, his eyes widening slightly as he noticed the couple curled up so closely next to each other. A small, mischievous smile made its way onto his lips.

    “So...how long has this been going on?” inquired Machina, gesturing at the two of them.

    “A couple weeks,” Ace responded coolly, his arm subconsciously tightening around Deuce as his demeanor changed almost instantaneously. Eyes narrowed just slightly, he seemed wary of the newcomer and Deuce discreetly rubbed the skin of his hand with her thumb to calm his guarded tension. “Why do you ask, Machina?”

    “Just wondering. Rem seems really excited whenever she sees you two walking together outside.” Machina slumped his shoulders with an exaggerated sigh. “Really. I don’t hear the end of it for at least ten minutes. ‘They’re so cute! I wouldn’t have guessed that Ace could be so romantic! Deuce is really good for him!’ That kind of thing.”

    Mildly stunned at the imitation, Ace blinked confusedly. “I don’t know why what we do together would prompt her to say such things. We just spend time together like a couple would. Don’t you do the same with Rem?”

    “Eh, but we’re not dating!” exclaimed Machina, face reddening quite rapidly as he waved a hand in denial. “I mean, she’s my childhood friend. It’d be...weird.”

    Giving an amused snicker at how Ace’s innocent questioning had sent Machina into a flustered mess, Deuce gently squeezed Ace’s hand again. “I don’t think so! We are technically childhood friends too, aren’t we, Ace?”

    “Well, we’ve been living together since we were seven,” said Ace, a thoughtful expression replacing the alertness on his features. “So yeah, I guess so. I still don’t see what the problem with being childhood friends is though. What does that have to do with how you feel toward each other?”

    “I agree! And I even think it’s better,” Deuce added, affectionately nudging Ace with her head again. “You understand and trust each other in a way that other people can’t.”

    “Hmm, I guess you’ve got a point.” Machina shrugged. “But I don’t know...it just seems weird.”

    The couple turned to look at each other, eyes questioning. Was it weird between them now that they were dating? Had anything really changed about how they felt toward each other in the weeks since they officially changed their relationship? Sure, they had begun to spend more time with each other and venture into more couple-like behavior, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it?

    Ace gave Deuce a reassuring smile, his sharp blue eyes softening to a tender look. No, there was nothing weird between them. She may have been the one to initiate their relationship, but he was happy to be with her. Seeing him look at her like that, Deuce couldn’t help but smile back.

    “I don’t think it’s weird,” remarked Ace, talking to Deuce as much as Machina. “We chose to be with each other. We just happen to have grown up together too. But if you care for her, what difference does it make?”

    “Yeah, I suppose...well, that’s not the point,” Machina chuckled, shrugging off the topic of him and Rem dating. “Keep doing what you were doing. I was just curious.”

    With that, Machina turned to walk to his room, leaving the two to laugh quietly at the sudden yet oddly thoughtful conversation. Deuce cuddled up to Ace again, her eyes closed contently as he leaned his head against hers.

    “I hope Machina figures out his feelings soon,” she said softly. “I think Rem is trying to drop him hints for something more.”

    “You should probably tell her to draft written orders for him instead,” Ace responded with a smirk. “It would probably be easier and less time consuming.”

    “Ace!” Deuce giggled at his suggestion, but nudged him lightly as if to scold him. “You shouldn't say such things!”

    Huffing in amusement, Ace playfully nudged her in response. “But I’m not wrong.”

    “Still…”

    “Well, not that it’s our problem anyway...”

 

* * *

 

    “Class Zero, report status.”

    Pausing to look around the area, Deuce held her free hand up to her earpiece to turn on the microphone and respond to the stern voice of their commanding officer, Kurasame Susaya. Cater huffed with annoyance behind her, the gunner’s disdain for the man clear, while Eight, who was a little ways away, stretched his arms above his head nonchalantly.

    They were in the crumbling town of Corsi, sent on a mission to take back the Rubrum region from the Empire. Though they had liberated McTighe and Aqvi with little issue, Corsi was a different story. The destruction in this city was far more extensive and the Militesi soldiers were relentless in their attacks on the Rubrumites that lived there.

    “Deuce here. We are almost done on the northern side of town, Commander.”

    “We’ve completed our sweep of the east side,” came the calm voice of Seven on the COMM. “Moving toward the objective.”

    “We are headed there as well,” Queen added. “Ace, how is the Town Square looking?”

    A brief pause followed and then Ace’s quiet voice came through the COMM. “The enemy lieutenant is moving into the square. He’s in a MA. There’s also a couple troopers positioned nearby. We can take them out before the rest of the dominion forces arrive.”

    “...Proceed then,” ordered Kurasame. “Take out the enemy leader.”

    “Understood.”

    Letting out a small sigh, Deuce tapped the earpiece to turn off the microphone and looked in the direction of the Town Square. Ace was with Nine, Machina, and Rem, leading the attack on the Militesi leadership in the town (and by extension, the region), while the rest of Class Zero swept the streets for enemy troops. These days, she couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of unrelenting anxiety when they were separated during missions. The battles were getting increasingly dangerous with the Militesi MAs becoming more and more advanced, after all. Even the explosions going off a couple streets behind them couldn't distract her from the worry.

    “Worried about Ace?” asked Cater, a knowing grin on her face.

    “Mmm, yes, well...I’m worried about everyone, but...” Deuce said, blushing lightly and clutching her flute in her hand tightly. “I just hope they aren’t too reckless.”

    Eight let out a chuckle as he re-adjusted the straps on his combat gloves. “That may be a bit of an idle hope with Nine on their team, Deuce.”

    Suddenly, the three of them heard a beep on the COMM system, signalling an incoming transmission. “Squad B, respond,” ordered their CO, prompting Eight to reach up and tap his earpiece.

    “Squad B here,” said Eight. “What is it, Commander?”

    “We have reports of a civilian building on the north side being bombarded by Militesi troops and MAs. Nine civilians have been confirmed inside. There may be more. Dominion legionaries are already enroute to the site. Your orders are to eliminate the enemy troops in the area and extract the civilians.”

    “Understood,” Eight answered. “We’re on our way.”

    “Must be those blasts over in that direction,” commented Cater, twirling her pistol in her hand. “Hmph. Razing buildings is one thing, but attacking civilians is another. I can't stand them!”

    “We should hurry and help.” Deuce spared one last glance in the direction of the Town Square and then turned to Eight and Cater, who nodded in agreement.

    The three of them moved through the debris-filled streets as quickly as possible, systematically eliminating stray Militesi soldiers and turrets along the way. This mission may have only been their third official mission from the dominion leadership, but they had prepared and trained for battle together for almost a decade, far more than regular cadets. After a couple minutes, the sounds of gunshots and explosions were practically booming in their ears and they paused in the alleyway. And then, all of the sudden, the sounds stopped.

    Briefly, Eight peered out from the corner of the building they were behind, his red-brown eyes narrowing at the sight of twelve silver-clad Militesi soldiers and three MAs outside of a building that might have been the town hall. He drew back, tapping his earpiece as Cater turned to keep a lookout behind them.

    “Squad B reporting in. We’ve arrived at the target site. Twelve troopers and three MAs outside. It looks like they’re reloading the MAs now,” announced Eight in a low voice. “Have the legionaries arrived yet, Commander?”

    “The dominion legionaries should be arriving momentarily. Squad B, you are to engage the enemy forces as soon as they do. Take out the MAs and leave the soldiers for the legionaries,” Kurasame instructed through the COMM. “Once the MAs are down, assess the building integrity and proceed with extraction of the civilians. Reports say they are holed up in the entrance hall. Four confirmed injured.”

    “Understood,” responded Eight before turning the microphone off once more.

    “What’s the plan for this extraction?” Cater inquired. “If we’ve got serious injuries, we can’t just pull them out.”

    Nodding thoughtfully, Eight put a hand to his chin. “Like the CO said, we have to take out the MAs first. Once we do that, I can open the doors and we can get in. Deuce, I think you should check on the civilians and try to heal any that we need to take care of before moving them. I can help move the ones with less severe injuries. Cater, you cover us in case any soldiers get past the legionaries. Hopefully the legionaries can clear out the enemy troops and help us extract the civilians.”

    “Okay,” said Deuce, taking a deep breath.

    The girls nodded in agreement and Eight glanced out past the corner of the alleyway again. “Those legionaries better get here quick. Looks like they’re almost done reloading.”

    Just as he said that, yells rang out on the street and the sound of gunshots firing filled the air again, followed by the forceful booms of Fire-type spells and the crackles of Lightning-type spells. The pounding of boots against the dirt came to a stop as the legionaries halted their advance to erect their magic barriers and attack.

    “Refocus fire on the reds!” bellowed one of the Militesi soldiers.

    “Their backs are to us now. Let’s move,” muttered Eight. “Ready?”

    By the time Cater’s first shot rang out, Eight had already breached their backline, grabbing the two nearest troopers by the heads and slamming them to the ground. Magically invigorated by the dulcet notes of Deuce’s flute, the two plowed through the three MAs, breaking the mechanical limbs and launchers with deadly precision.

    “Red Demons!” another of the Militesi soldiers screamed, stumbling as he whirled around and backed away into his comrade. “Damn it!”

    “Building looks like it’s about to collapse,” Cater noted, shooting the operator of the third MA. “If we’re going to extract, we better do it fast.”

    Content that the other enemy troopers were occupied with the legionaries, the three crimson-caped cadets approached the front doors of the building cautiously. Eight grabbed the handles of the doors, pulling and pushing firmly to no avail.

    “They’ve barricaded the doors. We’ll have to blast in, but with the building’s condition…” Eight said with a frown. “Where’s Ace when you need him?”

    “Mog, the doors to the civilians are barricaded,” reported Cater, her free hand on her earpiece. “Do we have another point of entry?”

    “There’s a backdoor underground, kupo!” chirped Moglin’s voice over the COMM. “You should be able to access it from the cellars behind the building.”

    “How are the others doing?” asked Cater as they made their way to the back of the building. “We could use Ace’s help extracting civilians through walls with the building about to collapse.”

    “They’re currently engaging enemy reinforcements in the Town Square, kupo!”

    Cater tapped the microphone switch with a sigh, shrugging as Eight pulled open the cellar doors forcibly. “Guess we’re not getting any backup for a bit,” Cater grumbled, a mischievous smirk curling her lips for a moment. “Deuce, tell your boyfriend to hurry up!”

    “You know I can’t do that, Cater,” Deuce responded in a lightly scolding voice while the three of them descended into the cellar.

    “I know, I know,” the gunner snickered, patting Deuce on the shoulder with her free hand. “But he’d come if you told him to, you know. He’s a pushover like that.”

    A sudden rumble shook the building and Eight paused, his head whirling around to check behind them. “That sounded like another bomb nearby,” commented Eight quietly. “We might be in trouble if that’s the case. We need to move.”

    They swiftly made their way through the dimly lit cellar toward the only other exit and Cater gripped the door handle. “Ugh, locked. Eight, break it down.”

    With three powerful kicks, the handle was broken off and Eight pushed open the door, the cadets stepping into a plain-looking hallway with stone floors and tan walls. Out of the blue, a yelp of pain echoed down the corridor, followed by another thunderous rumble outside. Glancing at each other momentarily, the three of them nodded in wordless agreement and ran down the hall toward the noise.

    The entrance hall was much brighter and more open than the passageway and cellar, forcing the three to squint as their eyes adjusted to the light again. There were indeed nine civilians as far as they could see, four lying on their backs on the ground with bandaged gashes across their torsos and the others gathered around them. Behind them, the front doors were barricaded with multiple heavy-looking crates and bookshelves.

    “You’re Akademeia cadets, aren’t you?” asked one of the civilians, a bearded man with a cut across his brow. “Have you come to help us?”

    “Yes, we’re here to get you out,” Eight replied before gesturing to the four hurt civilians on the floor. “How badly are they hurt?”

    “They were caught in the initial blasts when the Militesi began shooting those bombs at us,” explained the bearded man, putting a reassuring hand on the head of the little girl standing next to him. “We could only perform basic first aid on them afterward.”

    “I-It sounds like t-they’re going to bomb us again,” whimpered one of the women crouched next to an injured man. “The building is going to come down on us at any minute…”

    Eight nodded, turning to Deuce and Cater. “Okay. Deuce, go ahead and check on the injured. We definitely can’t move them like they are now. Cater, call it in. Anyone who is able-bodied, come help me. We need to move the blockade. It’ll take too long to move the wounded through the way we came in.”

    “I don’t know if we can move it, boy. We had those three to help us when we made the blockade,” said another man, this one wearing a headband to hold back his dark hair. “Unless you’ve some magic to move these things with.”

    “Not unless we bomb it open.” Eight furrowed his brow, placing his finger on his chin in thought. “We can give it a try while Deuce heals your injured. Hopefully the legionaries outside can take the same route we did to help get everyone out.”

    As Eight led the four relatively unharmed civilians to the blockade, Deuce bent down next to one of the injured men to check his condition. Behind her, Cater opened her COMM line. “Squad B here. We’re inside the building. Nine civilians confirmed—five men, two women, two children—four injured, including a kid. Deuce is treating them before we move them out. The building is close to being unstable. Send backup _now_.”

    “The other squads are occupied with the enemy,” said the stoic voice of Commander Kurasame. “Command has lost contact with the legionaries that are at your location. Do you know what happened?”

    “We left them outside to take care of the troops after taking out the MAs,” Cater huffed, clearly annoyed by their commander’s indifference. “What, did they run off on us?”

    Another thunderous boom shook the building and the cadets immediately looked up at the roof, quickly and nervously scanning the stone for cracks or fissure lines. Gradually, Cater bent down next to Deuce, warily looking toward the high windows that were letting sunlight into the hall every once in awhile. Eight put a hand to his brow, his features contorted in frustration.

    “No luck. We’ll have to take the back way,” hissed Eight, giving the crate next to him one last shove. “Deuce, how are we doing?”

    “This one should be okay now!” Deuce answered, her hands glowing a light blue from her magic. “You two should start moving everyone outside. I’ll stay and keep healing.”

    With that, Deuce stood, moving over to the next wounded man while Cater helped the healed man up and slung his arm over Eight’s shoulders for support. The martial artist looked at Deuce and then back at Cater. “You stay with Deuce and help her, Cater. I’ll lead the others out and be back as soon as I can,” said Eight, pulling the weakened man along with him. “The rest of you, follow me!”

    As Eight led the other civilians away, another blast went off and the building trembled once more. Careful to not alarm the injured yet still conscious civilians, Deuce held back a gasp as Cater discretely pointed at a corner of the entrance hall roof that had clearly felt the impact of a bomb and was beginning to crumble. Cater stood, her hand drifting to her earpiece.

    “Ace? Do you read me?”

    “Cater?” came his response through the COMM. “What is it?”

    “Get over here _now_. Deuce and I are in a collapsing building with three injured civilians and a blocked entrance. Eight is trying to get the other civilians out through the back, but we’re running out of time. You know Deuce won’t leave without the civilians.”

    “Cater!” exclaimed Deuce in shock. “You shouldn’t...”

    “I’m on my way.” Ace’s voice was surprisingly calm on the line, though his heart and mind must have been racing—or so Cater would have liked to think. “Send me coordinates.”

    Cater pressed a button on the earpiece, this one closer to the base of the ear than the transmission control. “Just did. Hurry."

    Almost as soon as Ace grunted in reply, the COMM beeped again, this time with Eight on the other line. “Commander, the legionaries outside are dead. There’s another two MAs and eight soldiers sitting out here. Must have been enemy reinforcements. I’m taking the civilians with me back through the alleyways to a more secure location.”

    “Reinforcements are being dispatched now,” Kurasame announced. “The forces are being stretched thin engaging the Militesi both inside and outside of Corsi. Squad A and C, continue pursuit of the enemy lieutenant. Squad D, go assist Squad B.”

    “Ace and Seven are already enroute to Squad B’s location, Commander,” reported Queen. “We will join them as soon as we have the enemy lieutenant.”

    “There he is!” They could hear Jack’s voice in the background of Queen’s line.

    The building shook again, the blast impact in the corner of the roof now turning into a web of cracks with growing fissures. Cater frowned, pulling the man she and Deuce just finished healing up and supporting most of the man’s weight on her.

    “Cater, please get him out of the building,” said Deuce, a hint of frantic worry in her voice as she bent down next to the other wounded man. “We must get as many people out as possible. Ace and I will try to get these two out before the building collapses.”

    “You can’t actually expect me to leave you here, Deuce! I’m staying with you.”

    “The mission comes first, Cater,” Deuce reminded the gunner, her serious voice never faltering. “We must get the civilians out safely.”

    Unfortunately, Deuce was right, but it didn't mean Cater had to like it. Their missions were the first priority for the war and cadets like them had no choice in the matter. Class Zero especially was expected to pull off the missions they were assigned at any cost.

    “But what if Ace doesn’t get here in time?”

    “He will.”

    The faith and resolution in Deuce’s voice was absolute and Cater could only nod dumbly in response. Quietly, Cater plodded away with the older man and Deuce doubled her focus on the man lying in front of her. Breathing in deep as she tried to keep her hand steady above the man’s wounds, Deuce tried not to think about the enemy bombarding the building or the multitude of things that could go wrong in the time she was by herself.

    Another explosion and Deuce let out a small sigh. Ace is on his way, she told herself mentally, nervously glancing upward at the growing cracks on the roof. The thought comforted her. If she were to be perfectly honest with herself, most of her hadn’t expected him to abandon his current mission objective for her. That was how they were trained—the mission above all else. But the fact that he had broken away from their training when Cater called him showed that he meant what he had told her all those weeks ago before the liberation. He would come for her.

    Suddenly, she could hear muffled shouts and screams outside and she clutched her flute hard in her fist, ready to defend the civilians if needed. The whizz of another bomb came and the building shook again, the cracks on the roof spreading toward them and growing precariously close to falling through. A large chunk of the upper part of the side wall broke off, the stone pieces tumbling onto the uneven floor and kicking up plumes of dust.

    “C-Can you stand, sir?” asked Deuce before coughing lightly into her sleeve. The dust, in addition to the strain of using so much magic so directly and so quickly, was getting to her. “Your wounds should be mostly healed, but you must still be careful.”

    “T-Thank you,” said the man, slowly sitting up and clutching his abdomen with a cough. “I-I can try to…”

    The building rumbled once more and this time, a block of the roof dropped several meters away from them. Eyes watering, Deuce coughed and cast a light Aero spell to clear the air, at least temporarily. “I need to heal the boy,” Deuce told the man, sliding over on her feet to the unconscious child. “Please try to stand and we’ll leave as soon as we can move him safely.”

    “Deuce!”

    Her heart almost leapt out of her chest at the sound of Ace’s voice, but a sense of relief flooded Deuce’s body almost immediately after. She turned to see Ace, who was slightly covered in ash and dust, running over from the barricaded doors, his unique magic allowing him to teleport straight through the blockade. As if he could sense her condition, he pulled an ether out of his satchel, splashing the restoring liquid onto her as he slid in beside her.

    “Ace…”

    “I’m glad you’re okay,” he stated softly, touching her forehead with his for a brief yet affectionate moment. He drew back, eyes sharp and wary as he scanned the area swiftly, and then turned back to her. “We don’t have much time. Seven and Cater are trying to take out the Militesi troops outside. Let’s go.”

    “I-I still need to heal the boy...” Deuce’s hand flickered with magic as she pressed Cure spells into the boy’s body, surprisingly the most damaged of the four. She directed her eyesight to the man she had finished healing, causing Ace to follow her line of sight to him. “Get him to safety.”

    “My son…” gasped the man as Ace pulled him onto his feet.

    “Okay, I’ll take him and be back in a minute. Be done with the boy by then,” Ace ordered Deuce, the rough tone of his voice belying his unease. With that, Ace stood, supporting the larger man by the arm and dragging him over to the doors.

    Deuce watched as Ace’s surreal magic flared and he leaned forward, teleporting both the man and himself through the solid material of the barricade and the doors in a blink. The explosions had ceased since Ace came in, but the roof was still in danger of collapsing at any moment. She had to work fast.

    Just then, a resounding crack echoed from above her and Deuce looked up fearfully. The stone tiles of the roof were starting to fold in on each other. Assessing the partially healed injuries on the boy, Deuce pursed her lips and quickly lifted the boy into her arms, running toward the blockade as fast as her legs could take her. She slid to a stop, her foot touching the frontmost crate just as a stone slab slammed to the floor where they were moments before.

    Setting the boy down on the crates, Deuce coughed once more and put a hand to her chest. Ace phased back in, his eyes widened in surprise at how much closer they were. Wordlessly exchanging a look with Deuce, Ace carefully picked up the boy and disappeared through the barricade again.

    Rumbling echoed above her and Deuce watched in alarm as the entire roof began to collapse in chunks. She threw up her hands in front of her, a barrier spell at her fingertips as the stone pieces fell on around and on top of her. Resisting the urge to cough again, she strained against the weight of the rubble.

    A strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist then and Deuce felt Ace pulling her backward, followed by the weightlessness of his magic teleporting them through the solid barrier. They stumbled onto the stairs outside and tumbled down the short flight, his back meeting the dirt ground of the street and his arms still stubbornly holding her when they stopped.

    “Ow…” groaned Ace beneath her, the complaint only audible to Deuce as the building fell in on itself several meters in front of them and his arms slumped. “...You okay?”

    “Mmm-hmm,” Deuce answered, shifting her weight off of him and sitting down next to him. “Thanks to you...”

    He sat up and she could practically feel the exhaustion in his body as well as her own. She blinked, squinting slightly at the bright outside environment. For a little bit, it had become quite dark in the building by herself, in every sense of the phrase. Giving a light sigh, she laid her head against his shoulder tiredly. With Ace beside her and the mission accomplished, she could relax again.

    “Ace! Deuce!” Seven’s voice brought her out of her contemplative daze and she saw the older silver-haired girl kneel down next to them. “Are you okay?”

    “Yeah, we’re fine, Seven,” mumbled Ace, leaning his head against Deuce’s. “Just tired.”

    “Rest a bit then. We’ll wait for the others to catch up and then we can all go back,” Seven instructed with a small, understanding smile and nod. “I’ll check on the civilians.”

    The faint chattering behind them and the light breeze occasionally sweeping through the rubbly, dust-filled city were the only sounds around them for a while, neither wanting to break the other’s peace. Even as the voices of the other Class Zero members joined the background, the two of them sat there in their silence, simply basking in each other’s presence. At some point, Ace shifted slightly to quickly glance at the others and settled back down when he saw they weren’t intent on disturbing them. Deuce curled up closer to him, craving the comfort of his warmth, and he gave a low rumble of contentment.

    “Are we going home now?” she asked softly.

    “Not yet. If you want to rest, I’ll carry you back,” he offered before raising a hand to gently slide the pad of his thumb across a small cut on her cheek and heal it. “I’ll wake you up when we’re back, so you can clean up and rest.”

    “Mmm, that sounds really nice,” she murmured, her dark turquoise eyes already beginning to close as she responded. “If it’s not too much trouble for you…”

    By the time she finished speaking, Deuce had all but passed out against him and Ace huffed amusedly to himself. Luckily, the others couldn’t see how he looked at her now and he was secretly quite relieved that they couldn’t. The teasing would be relentless.

    She nestled closer to him once more with an almost inaudible mumble and he couldn’t help but smile at her. “...I’ll always be here for you, Deuce.”

 

* * *

 

    “Ace…”

    At the sound of his girlfriend’s soft voice, Ace cracked open an eye and gave a low grunt in response. He was lying on the common room couch, half asleep from waiting for her to finish showering and cleaning up from their mission earlier. His nose twitched as she sat down on the edge of the seat and leaned over him, her untied hair grazing his face and the scent of her shampoo helping to rouse him from his exhaustion-induced stupor. Deuce smiled at him, touching the curve of his jaw tenderly.

    “Mmm...just finished showering? You smell like flowers,” he muttered, his eyes still half-lidded in sleep. Lazily, his hand drifted up from his side and gently touched the strands of her hair that were hanging just above him. “Soft…”

    “You must still be tired. I’m sorry for disturbing you,” Deuce said as she pulled back from him, holding back a giggle at his mildly random comments. “I’ll let you sleep more.”

    “No, stay…”

    Mildly stunned at the request, Deuce could only blush at the thought of how he wanted her with him. In a way, the mixed sensation was a remnant of a time when she believed that her feelings for him were, and would remain, painfully one-sided. Perhaps part of her was still in disbelief that he returned her feelings and desired her company just as much as she did his. Yet everything he did with her and for her showed he did. He did care for her.

    Gradually, Ace slid up into a reclined position, his upper back against the armrest and his hand laying in her lap. More awake and alert than before, he took in the sight of her—hair down with the slightest hint of pink on her cheeks and a coy smile on her lips—and his deep blue eyes flickered with fondness. They stared at each other wordlessly for some moments, their eyes delving into each others’ and their light breathing the only sound between them.

    “I...I didn’t thank you properly for saving me earlier…” Deuce said at length, moving closer to him. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”

    “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he replied, leaning forward slightly to touch his forehead to hers in an affectionate gesture. “You mean a lot to me.”

    Deuce could feel her heart swell with joy at his words and she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around Ace, pulling herself to his chest for a loving embrace. His hand drifted along her waist and to her back, allowing him to hold her close. He tried not to think about what the others would say if they found him in such a position with her and simply enjoyed the moment, nuzzling her hair with his nose.

    “You came for me, just like you promised,” she whispered against his collarbone.

    “I told you I would.”

    Her cheeks were awfully warm when she turned her head to look up at him, the thought of being so bold filling her. Carefully, she leaned up, pressing her lips against the lower part of his cheek in an innocent, yet emotional kiss, a wordless expression of how deeply she felt for him. She wouldn’t be able to put into words how loved he made her feel anyway. When she drew back, she could see the deep red blush on his face and she giggled softly before laying her head against his shoulder once more.

    “Thank you, Ace…”

    To her surprise, Deuce felt his lips against the top of her hair, pressing a quick kiss to her head. Smiling to herself, she huddled closer to him and felt his arm tighten just slightly around her, as if he were trying to pull her as close as possible. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she gave a soft, happy purr.

    Surely Ace felt the same way as she did, Deuce thought. He wasn’t one to verbalize his feelings all that often, but he wasn’t shy about them by any means. Even so, his actions spoke of his devotion just as loudly and strongly as his words. She could only hope that one day, he would know how much she loved him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this out earlier, but things got busy at work...and then I needed to split the chapter into two because it was way too long. Sorry about that! Hopefully it was worth the wait though!


	4. What It Means to Love

    “Congratulations on another successful mission, Class Zero!” A dominion tribune greeted the group as they walked into the entrance of Akademeia, Cater and Cinque leading and King and Trey bringing up the rear. Queen nodded, acknowledging the tribune as the rest of the team passed by, deeply enveloped in their own conversations.

    “Heh, those Militesi didn’t put up much of a fight,” scoffed Sice.

    “Yeah, we totally kicked their butts!” Cater boasted with a proud tone in her voice and her hands on her hips. “Didn’t even break a sweat.”

    Nine yawned, stretching his arms above his head. “You’re telling me. It’s nap time, yo.”

    “A nap sounds good,” agreed Jack, a sleepy grin on his face. “We got up too early this morning.”

    “Nap time? Aww, but Cinquey’s all pumped up!” Cinque chirped energetically, raising a hand into the air and waving it around. “We won too easy!”

    “You’re all so strong! Machina and I will have to get some tips from you, we will!” Rem said admiringly, nudging Machina playfully.

    Machina sighed, his shoulders hanging tiredly. “I’m mostly just tired from all the running around trying to corner that MA…”

    “We should still remain vigilant. Not all battles will be this easy,” warned King.

    Eight nodded in agreement, breathing in deeply as they passed into the sunlight of the Fountain Courtyard. “We need to keep up with our training. Especially after missions that don’t provide enough of the proper experience…”

    “Although we did learn something about the Militesi today, so the mission was hardly a waste of time…” Queen commented thoughtfully. “I’ll go ahead and make the report to Commander Kurasame.”

    “Indeed. Hopefully Section 4 and Class Eleventh can learn about its inner machinations with the one we captured,” said Trey, not missing a beat. “The primary purpose of the MA seemed to be for transportation as its defensive capabilities were limited at best. However, there have been offensive models built in the past that rely on the MA’s speed of movement rather than its defensive constructs…”

    As Trey began to blather on, Ace rolled his eyes and gave a small sigh. Beside him, Deuce hid a small giggle at Ace’s clear disapproval behind her hand. Sometimes Ace was hard to read, but she felt that she was getting better at understanding his slight expressions and movements after spending so much time with him. He turned to her, eyes softening at her amused smile and hand touching her arm lightly.

    Deuce stopped, giving Ace a curious look as King, Trey, and Seven passed them, the latter smiling to herself as she briefly looked at the couple. Glancing at the others and content that they were too busy with their own conversations to pay attention to him and Deuce, Ace noticeably relaxed and sighed.

    “What is it, Ace?” Deuce asked, tilting her head confusedly. “Are you feeling okay?”

    “It was an easy mission, but it’s not like we’re invincible,” muttered Ace, his eyes scanning the courtyard automatically. “Guess I’m still a little tense. How about you?”

    “I’m fine now. My heart was pounding so fast when that MA shot a grenade at you though…” she replied, placing a hand over her heart expressively. “I was really worried.”

    A sly grin made its way onto Ace’s face. “What? You didn’t think I could dodge it?”

    “N-No! I was just really worried about you!” exclaimed Deuce, a mildly incredulous tone in her voice at his teasing. “You know how much you and the others mean to me…”

    “Aww, I thought I was special for a moment there,” he grumbled, an uncharacteristically childish pout on his face. “I am your boyfriend, aren’t I?”

    “Y-Yes, but you’re making fun of me!” she flushed and frowned slightly in disapproval of his recently discovered favorite activity, which he cheekily enjoyed. Ace was normally quite serious and confident for a sixteen-year-old, but his more playful and mischievous side was starting to show much more often in her presence, at her expense most of the time.

    Leaning forward and nudging her affectionately with his head, Ace whispered into her ear. “I’m sorry. You’re just…so cute when you react.”

    She blushed heavier at his confession and she shut her eyes in embarrassment, failing to see the brief appearance of light pink on his cheeks as well. He had always found this demure side of her adorable, but flirting with those boundaries between what was considered proper and formal or suggestive and naughty was more amusing than he had ever thought it would be. “You’re too much, Ace!”

    “Too much to go on a walk with?” he inquired playfully. “The others have already left.”

    As if he had to ask. Deuce shook her head, slowly breathing in and out to calm her heart rate slightly. They were both still very much getting used to the idea of being a romantic couple, but Ace seemed to take to it far more quickly and adeptly than she did. “I do want to take a walk with you,” she murmured, prompting him to smile at her sincerely. “I always do.”

    “Me too, Deuce. I like taking walks with you too.”

    They began to walk toward their usual path, Ace strolling calmly and regally (as least in Deuce’s opinion) through the courtyard. Her fingers brushed his and he turned to look at her, causing her to pull her hand back hesitantly. Was it wrong to want to hold his hand in public? They had done so a few times before, but there were usually fewer people around and she didn’t want to make any assumptions.

    “Deuce…was that—I mean…do you want…?” He trailed off, sliding his fingers against hers before taking her hand in his.

    Nodding, Deuce tried her best to resist blushing again. “I like holding hands with you too,” she mumbled shyly.

    Just barely catching what she said with his sharp hearing, Ace grinned reassuringly. “Then don’t hesitate. I think we’re allowed to hold hands. We are dating, after all.”

    With that, they continued through the courtyard, drawing the attention of many of the cadets and legionaries that were around. Ace seemed largely unaffected, but Deuce was growing increasingly aware of the number of people starting to stare. It must have seemed a bit strange, two Class Zero cadets so blatantly showing affection in public.

    “It’s such a nice day today…you wouldn’t have guessed it from this morning when we were hiding behind buildings and getting covered in dust,” remarked Ace as they exited the courtyard and moved out of the view of most people around.

    “O-Oh yes, and it was cloudy too,” Deuce added, now far more relaxed in the absence of other people staring at them. “I could barely keep track of everyone with how dark and dusty it was.”

    “That reminds me: I’ll have to make sure you’re always in my squad for missions,” Ace proclaimed, stroking her thumb with his. Doing so wouldn’t be difficult, considering that as the unofficial class leaders, he and Queen made squad assignments with their commanding officer.

    “Why is that?”

    A roguish smirk made its way onto Ace’s lips and Deuce almost regretted asking. He snickered. “What can I say? I enjoy watching you fix your hair and skirt after battle. And the way you walk around playing your flute…”

    “A-Ace!” Deuce gave him a scandalized look, another healthy blush on her cheeks as he chuckled at her. Clearly, he was expecting such a reaction. Slowly, his chuckles tapered off and he spoke again.

    “But in all seriousness…I want to keep you safe, Deuce,” he stated resolutely, leaning in to touch her head with his to show his sincerity. “I don’t want you to get hurt during any of our battles. I want to protect you. As best I can. And that’s easier if you’re with me.”

    And there was that sweet, sensitive Ace that she felt so strongly for. While she liked all of Ace (even his more childish side), this side of him was, without a doubt, the side that first drew her to liking him more than just a sibling or a friend. He spoke what was in his heart, sincere and genuine feelings, and he was so unintentionally romantic.

    “Oh, Ace…I want to protect you too. I care about you so much,” she answered, her heart filling with warmth and fondness for the young man before her. “You were—”

    With a quiet gasp, Deuce stopped before she could finish her sentence and broke eye contact with Ace bashfully. Caught up in the moment, she had almost let out a secret that she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to admit to him yet. He stared at her confusedly, unsure of what she was about to say or why she turned away from him.

    “Deuce…?”

    “P-Please don’t mind me,” she stuttered softly, pressing her other hand to his chest. “I’ll tell you one day, but I…I don’t know if I’m ready to yet. Please don’t be angry.”

    “Why would I be angry?” Ace whispered, touching her face with his free hand to guide her to face him again. “If you’re not ready to tell me, you’re not ready. I understand. We’ve just started being together in…this way. You don’t have to feel sorry for not telling me something you want to keep personal for now. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here beside you to listen, okay?”

    She relaxed, letting out a soft breath of relief at his words. “Thank you, Ace…”

    “Good. We should get back to our walk if we want to finish before dinner,” he remarked as the breeze picked up slightly and rustled their capes and hair. “We—”

    To his surprise, Deuce wrapped her free arm around his neck, leaning in to embrace him while still holding his hand. She snuggled against him, the affection and warmth building in her heart overcoming her nervousness. “Truly…thank you so much, Ace…”

    His arm came around her waist and held her, pulling her closer against him. “Of course, Deuce.”

   

* * *

 

    Sitting down at her usual seat next to Cater, Deuce placed her elbows on the desk and sighed contently. Her gaze drifted over to Ace, who picked up one of the thick tomes laid on his desk as Queen told him about the information she had found. All business, his eyes were furrowed in concentration and he nodded authoritatively once Queen finished. It was amazing to her how quickly he could change from being the sweet and sensitive Ace who held her hand to the stern and serious Ace who led the class.

    “We still have a lot of territory to wrest back from the Empire,” grumbled Ace, putting a hand to his chin in thought. “There wasn’t much information about the new MAs we encountered, even from Section 4. Once Class Eleventh is done deconstructing the MA we captured…”

    “Trey is in the Armory working with them.” Queen said, adjusting her glasses. “Until then, I need you to help me in the Altocrystarium.”

    “All right.”

    As Ace and Queen picked up the books from his desk and left the classroom, Cater and Cinque gave a knowing grin to each other at Deuce’s wistful look at Ace. Cater turned in her seat while Cinque slid in beside Deuce on the other side.

    “Deucey!” squealed Cinque, grasping Deuce’s arm.

    Immediately snapping to attention, Deuce gave a squeak of surprise as Cinque’s tug caused her to wobble in her seat. “Y-Yes, Cinque?”

    “We saw you with Acey the other day!” announced Cinque happily.

    “W-What?”

    Shoving Deuce playfully in the arm, Cater laughed. “We saw the two of you taking a walk together from up here when we came back from our last mission. You can’t deny it!”

    A light blush colored Deuce’s cheeks as she thought about how intimate she and Ace must have seemed. “Oh, well…umm…I…”

    “You know, we should have guessed!” exclaimed Cater with a teasing grin. “You two have been spending so much time together. So, tell us all about it! He’s not as boring as he is in class, is he?”

    “Oh, Cater, you shouldn’t say such things about him,” responded Deuce, giggling despite herself. “Ace is so kind and sweet. I really enjoy being with him.”

    Cinque tilted her head, smiling widely. “Ah! Deucey’s falling in love!”

    “C-Cinque!” Deuce cried out in shock as she flushed brightly. While she was certainly growing increasingly fonder of Ace, hearing Cinque speak so candidly about it was so embarrassing.

    “Aww, that’s really cute, Deuce,” Cater said, holding back another laugh. “I wouldn’t have bet that Ace could have a girlfriend, let alone one of us!”

    At this comment, Nine and King behind them broke into fits of laughter. Nine threw back his head with a bark of laughter, while King chuckled.

    “We’re lucky that Ace isn’t here to hear this,” said King, his arms crossed but his lips curled in mirth. “No telling what he might do to you girls for talking about him like that.”

    “You two better keep your mouths shut then!” Cater shot back with a hint of threatening in her voice. “Or else!”

    “Heh, it ain’t our problem, yo!” answered Nine smugly.

 

* * *

 

    “It’s so beautiful!” exclaimed Deuce, the awe clear on her face as she looked out at the horizon. She and Ace were out on the terrace watching the setting sun, her proposed finale to their first official dinner date. They had spent most of the day out on an arduous mission and when they got back, he had suggested a casual date to lift their spirits a bit and relax after running around all day. The colors of the sunset were vibrant and the scene had a tranquil sort of feel to it, especially since they were the only ones on the terrace.

    “Yeah, the colors are…really something,” Ace commented, wrapping his arms around her from behind to rest his head on her shoulder. He breathed in deeply, enjoying her scent as he stood with her. “This was a really good idea, Deuce.”

    “I thought you would enjoy it,” she answered playfully, her back melded against his chest. “It kind of reminds me of your magic with all the colors. It’s so pretty.”

    “Heh, I was about to say that it reminded me of your magic,” he said with a small grin on his face. “Do you come out here to look at the sunset a lot? I thought you usually cleaned your flute in the common room after dinner.”

    Deuce sighed contently as one of his hands slid onto hers, fingers interlacing affectionately. “I do clean my flute after dinner, but sometimes I do it out here because the sunset is really relaxing…”

    “I bet it would feel amazing to play music out here with this kind of atmosphere.” Ace closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as if imagining the scene in his mind, a light shiver running down Deuce’s back with his warm breath on her ear. “I’d love to hear you play here sometime.”

    A flattered yet pleased expression made its way onto her face and she leaned her head against his shyly. Weeks ago, such an intimate action would have set her off blushing madly and stuttering in surprise, but they had certainly grown more comfortable with each other’s touch as they spent more time together. In a way, she had even begun to crave his touches, which reminded her how close they had become now. He hummed with approval, turning his attention back to the dimming horizon as a peaceful silence settled around them.

    The sun had become a hazy glow in the distance and the chill of night was beginning to settle in. Ace’s brow furrowed when Deuce trembled in his embrace, his body acutely aware of hers. Suddenly feeling very bold, he nuzzled her cheek with his, earning a soft murmur of his name and a light squeeze of their entwined fingers. His free hand slid along her forearm, rubbing it lightly and gently, and she leaned into his touch.

    “I like this very much, Ace,” she remarked quietly as she turned her head slightly to look at him, not wanting to break the ambience. “Could we do this again?”

    He gave her a small but sincere smile. “Yeah, definitely. But for now, I…I don’t want to let you go yet. Is that…okay? To keep holding you for now?”

    “I would like that,” she admitted with a rosy smile before leaning her head against his once more and settling back into his embrace. She could feel his strong heartbeat against her back and along with his firm yet gentle arms around her, it made her feel safe.

    Her hair pressed against his cheek and he gave a small huff of relief at her approval. Many of the moments they had together since they began dating were testing the waters of their newly found physical desire toward each other, but neither of them had established any hard boundaries yet. He almost dared to hope that there wouldn’t ever be a moment where he would accidentally cross an unspoken line and make her uncomfortable with him.

    They stood silently once more, simply enjoying each other’s presence and warmth in the dying daylight. It seemed that neither of them wanted to move and disentangle from the other, even as the stars began to twinkle into view. As before, his free hand wandered in his idleness, sliding along her arms lazily. Her body relaxed in his arms and he held her closer, more than willing to support her weight if it meant she was comfortable and content.

    Eventually, Deuce yawned, eyes half-closed with exhaustion. Ace gave a low and inquisitive grunt, wordlessly asking if she was ready to turn in for the night, and she nodded. Pure affection shined in his eyes at her sleepy response and he pressed a kiss to her right temple, tightening the hold his left arm had on her. A soft pink colored her cheeks as she gave him a questioning look.

    “Just let me take care of you,” he replied, a mix of teasing and adoration in his voice.

    She had no time to ask what he meant before he bent down, placing his right arm under her knees and sweeping her off her feet. With a surprised squeak, Deuce found herself pressed against Ace’s chest, her arms instinctively finding purchase around his neck. He gave her an amused look.

    “A-Ace!”

    “I’m glad you’re so on board with this, Deuce,” he quipped, turning to walk toward the portal that would take them back to the main entrance of Akademeia. “Cinque did tell me that girls liked to be treated like princesses.”

    Part of her wanted to retort how he was taking romance tips from Cinque, of all people, but her embarrassment at being so easily and literally swept off her feet stalled her thoughts. A tiny whine escaped her lips and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, though she could still picture the smug, mischievous expression on her boyfriend’s face at having successfully teased her again. She was entirely too tired to deal with all this playfulness.

    Thankful for the relative lack of activity in Akademeia during the night hours, Ace stepped through the great portal and into Class Zero’s assigned dormitories. Most of the others had settled into their rooms for the night, leaving the common room largely empty as he walked in with Deuce in his arms. The only ones in the common room were Seven and King, who were in the process of retreating into their own rooms for the night.

    King glanced over from his task of opening his bedroom door at the sound of Ace shuffling to remove his and Deuce’s shoes in the entryway and his eyebrows shot up in silent surprise at their intimate display. Their faces both a little flushed, Deuce had her arms around Ace, who held her up in a princess carry. Ace stepped carefully onto the carpet of the common room, making sure not to slip whilst carrying his girlfriend. Casually closing her door, Seven smiled knowingly and approvingly as Ace passed by without comment and brought Deuce to her bedroom door.

    Pressing another kiss to her head, Ace gently set Deuce on her feet, holding her up with one arm as he reached over to unlock and open her door. She huddled closer to him, snuggling against his shoulder sleepily. “You’re so warm and comfy, Ace…”

    “You’ll be more comfortable in bed, Deuce,” he muttered amusedly. She must have been quite exhausted after their mission and it was just now fully catching up to her.

    “Mmm…I guess we have to say goodnight then,” she mumbled, stifling a yawn before reluctantly moving out of Ace’s embrace and looking up at him expectantly.

    “Yeah…”

    The couple stared at each other, clearly not wanting to part for the night. Their rooms were right next to each other and yet the few meters of separation seemed so difficult to cope with. Slowly, Ace reached over with a hand to lightly brush Deuce’s hair out of her face, grinning slightly as she subtly leaned toward his touch.

    “I really enjoyed our date tonight, Ace,” said Deuce softly, turquoise eyes shining with adoration.

    “Me too. We’ll do it again sometime,” Ace whispered back, sliding his hand over her shoulder and down her arm to her hand in his reluctance to break contact with her. “So…umm…good night?”

    “Y-Yes…good night, Ace…”

    Her fingers curled around his, nervousness preventing her from voicing her request. A brief look of confusion crossed his features before he seemed to understand. His gaze meeting hers, he brought her hand to his lips and delicately kissed her fingers. He then dropped their hands, causing her to sigh faintly.

    “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

    Ace turned to go to his room, only to be stopped by Deuce calling his name once more.

    “A-Ace…!”

    Turning back to face her, Ace gave Deuce a quizzical look. To his surprise, she quickly leaned up and pecked him on the cheek, blushing deeply before sliding behind her bedroom door and out of sight for the night. Blinking numbly for a couple seconds, Ace gradually gave a pleased grin as the realization of what she did dawned on him.

    “Good night to you too, Deuce,” he chuckled, mostly to himself.

 

* * *

 

    Stretching his arms above his head, Ace took a deep breath and sluggishly looked over at a diligently studying Deuce beside him. The Crystarium was almost eerily quiet in the early morning, but they had been at Akademeia long enough to know that they tended to draw too much attention to study peacefully in open areas such as this when there were other cadets around. For that reason, he and Deuce had taken to waking up earlier to study on days they needed to check through multiple reference books in the Crystarium, just like they had today. Besides, Ace figured, the less people that were around, the less reserved they needed to act together.

    Deuce must have felt him unabashedly staring at her and she turned to look at him. Before she could ask anything, he lowered his arm behind her back and slid it around her waist, pulling her closer. She momentarily tensed in surprise at the action, but then relaxed and leaned toward him with a smile.

    “Mmm…we’ve been studying for a while, Ace…” Deuce murmured, lightly resting her head against his shoulder.

    “Yeah…maybe it’s time to head to the classroom,” suggested Ace, his cheek against the crown of her head. “Other people are going to start coming into the Crystarium soon anyway.”

    Nodding, Deuce hummed in agreement. “Yes, it’s about that time, isn’t it?”

    “Mmm-hmm. Let’s put these books back then.”

    Ace stood, glancing around and noting three cadets with light blue mantles walking into the Crystarium. The group’s attention instantly turned to him and Deuce, one of the cadets glowering at them and the other two giving them a hesitant look. Sometimes, it seemed like their crimson mantles were a symbol of contention in the dominion rather than the symbol of hope that Class Zero was supposed to stand for. His brow furrowed at the thought.

    Her gaze following his, Deuce stood up beside him and absentmindedly picked up two of the books on their study table. She could sense his thoughtful fretfulness, which happened more often than others outside of Class Zero were led to know. “…Ace?”

    “Sorry,” Ace muttered, turning his attention back to Deuce and picked up the other four books on their table. “Just…thinking too much again.”

    With that, he carried the books over to the nearby bookshelf and started sifting through the titles, placing one of the books back once he found its proper spot. She followed him over to the shelf, ducking under his arm to slide a book into the open slot she had taken it out of earlier. His features still etched with concern as he mulled over his thoughts, Ace automatically stepped back to allow Deuce room to stand in front of him while he put another book back and she secretly appreciated how constantly aware of her he was, even when lost in his own thoughts.

    Pulling another one of the books out of his arms, she tapped him on the chin with one finger and gave him a playful smile before putting it back on the shelf. He blinked confusedly for a moment, looking down at her as she did it again, and then his expression softened, replacing his look of unease with an adoring one.

    “It’s too early for you to be so serious, Ace,” she teased, grabbing the last book in his arms and placing it into the open slot on the lower half of the bookcase.

    “I’m always serious,” he growled jokingly. Smoothly, he took her other book from her hand and tickled her side with his other hand, causing her to squirm in reaction.

    “Ace…!”

    A triumphant smirk pulled at his lips and he reached up to put the final book back, only to freeze as Deuce turned around and slid an arm around his neck delicately. It seemed she wasn’t quite ready to concede yet, despite his advantage of not being nearly as ticklish as she was. But she had her own means of winning over him in their little games.

    Just as he began to wonder what she would do, she laid her head against his shoulder in a loose hug and he smiled, tilting his head to nuzzle her briefly before turning his attention back to finding the proper spot for the book in his hand. Suddenly, she pressed her lips to his cheek and then his jaw, causing him to startle and almost drop the book. He hadn’t expected her to be so bold. She giggled in his ear, sending a delightful shiver down his spine, and he knew she had effectively won this round.

    Huffing in feigned annoyance, he distractedly pushed the book into its place on the shelf and she released him, her cheeks a light pink while she continued to giggle quietly at their exchange. Ace turned his head aside, acutely aware of the stares they were garnering even though they were largely sequestered in a corner of the Crystarium. He couldn’t entirely bring himself to care about their spectators though, especially when Deuce impishly kissed him on the cheek again.

    “Cheeky,” he grumbled halfheartedly, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead and backing up from her to turn and leave the Crystarium. He was very much not used to be on the receiving side of the teasing, at least when it came to Deuce.

    “You don’t mind, do you, Ace?” she asked as she followed him, voice practically dripping with amusement as well as her normal sweetness. “I can see why you like it so much.”

    Eyebrow quirking upward, he snickered. “I think I’m a bad influence on you.”

    “Maybe I’ve always been like this and you’re just now finding out,” she suggested, pouting slightly as his face contorted subtly in a clear attempt to resist laughing out loud at the notion.

    “Now there’s a scary thought,” he deadpanned. “We’ve lived together for almost ten years. That is quite some deception.”

    “I’m full of secrets, Ace!” she declared dramatically, unable to keep herself from giggling through her words. “Really!”

    Ace chuckled as he pushed open the door to Classroom Zero, pleased to see Deuce in such a humorous mood. His dark train of thought had all but dissipated, which was perhaps her goal all along. He must have been staring at her with a besotted look, for she suddenly stopped and gave him a sincere smile, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

    “Thank you…”

 

* * *

 

    “Everyone knows already, huh…” muttered Ace, leaning back in his reclining armchair with a contemplative look on his face. “Not surprised…”

    After all, between the twelve of them, there were scarcely such things as secrets. Growing up together had all but guaranteed that. And when it involved two of them, all sense of secrecy may as well have been tossed out the window.

    Putting his book down on the small table beside the armchair, Ace turned slightly to look amusedly at Deuce, who was exploring his room with great enthusiasm. The multiple bookcases of documents and books had certainly caught her eye.

    When they came to Akademeia, each of them was allowed their own room in an isolated wing of the dormitories designed expressly for the members of Class Zero. Though each of the rooms had a personal closet and bathroom and all the furniture they could need, they had each taken to treating their rooms quite differently. And since they had little reason to go inside each other’s rooms, they had no idea what the others’ rooms looked like, for the most part.

    Ever since they had made to spend more time with each other, he had been in her room a couple times—all during reasonable hours, of course. Hers was filled with scores of music and magic as well as various “cute” items, such as a plush Moogle. This was the first time she had been in his room though, only because he tended to do work in his room often and she didn’t want to disturb him. He had assured her that she was never a bother, but she still wanted to be considerate of his duties.

    Today he had drawn her in for a sense of privacy. A heavy rain had settled in around Akademeia and their options for being alone together quickly dwindled with multiple classmates in the classroom, a small group in the common room outside, and reluctance to be soaked should they go outside. And although their rooms were right next to each other, the others were far less likely to disturb them if they were in his room.

    “I’m fairly sure everyone knows,” remarked Deuce, pulling out a large book on Rubrum’s l’Cie throughout history from the shelf. She glanced at the cover and slid it back in. “Haven’t the boys asked you about it?”

    “Not particularly,” replied Ace with a shrug of his shoulders. “Eight and Trey, they said something about not expecting it. And then Jack and Nine made comments about when I would…ah, never mind…”

    Tilting her head in confusion, Deuce turned toward Ace. “When you would…?”

    Ace shook his head to avoid blushing. That was someplace he didn’t want to go yet and he regretted bringing it up. Teenage boys and their hormones sometimes made for the some of the most unsavory comments. And he was glad that Deuce hadn’t caught on.

    “Don’t worry about it. You know Jack and Nine like to make jokes.”

    She seemed to accept this answer as she glanced out the window at the pouring rain. “You’re lucky. The girls asked me many things about it.”

    “Really? Such as?”

    “What things we had done together. How you were as a boyfriend. How we began dating,” Deuce listed, drawing her eyes to his rather comfortable-looking bed. “Why I liked you.”

    With a quirk of his lips, Ace made a low humming sound in response to the last one. “And no teasing was involved?”

    “Oh, Cater and Cinque teased me for quite some time,” Deuce said, an entertained tone in her voice. “But Rem told me that she’s a bit jealous of us.”

    “Because Machina won’t admit his own feelings for her?” inquired Ace, his eyebrow quirked waggishly. “Even though it’s more than obvious to everyone…”

    Deuce giggled, making her way over to his armchair. The past couple weeks had seen Ace working diligently at getting Deuce to be more comfortable with him, more accustomed to his playful and sometimes sarcastic side. She was slowly getting to the point where she wouldn’t blush at his every touch and felt confident enough to instigate her own acts of affection.

    “Perhaps you should give him some advice,” suggested Deuce thoughtfully as she leaned over his reclined form on the chair. “I think Rem would be very grateful.”

    “Maybe.”

    All of the sudden, Ace pushed himself up, grabbing her around her waist, and pulled her back down with him on the chair. Deuce squeaked with surprise as she tumbled into his lap, her eyes level with his chest and her hands on his abdomen, while she practically straddled his thighs. Eyes alight with a mix of glee and affection behind a pair of jostled glasses, Ace chuckled as she went several shades redder at their position.

    “A-Ace!”

    “What’s the matter, Deuce?” Ace teased, patting the small of her back with one hand. “I thought you were getting used to this.”

    Oh, how he enjoyed teasing her.

    She blushed even more deeply and looked away from him. He was just teasing again. “N-Not this exactly…the touching and hand-holding and the hugging, yes…”

    “Move up and hug me then,” instructed Ace, pressing his hand against her back lightly. “You’ll be more comfortable.”

    Her cheeks burning, Deuce moved to do as he said, shifting up on his body. She placed her hands along his biceps and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, acutely aware of how closely their bodies melded together. His arms slowly encircled her, holding her in place as he leaned his head against hers.

    It was surprisingly comfy. She knew from their previous touches and embraces that he, like the other boys in Class Zero, had firm muscles from the amount of physical training they were required to do. In the back of her mind, she had assumed that such hard and compact muscle would be uncomfortable to lie on, but he had proven her wrong. Along with his arms around her, she felt so safe and loved that she could easily fall asleep.

    “Ace…?”

    “Hmm?”

    “This feels so nice and wonderful,” murmured Deuce, tracing her hand down his arm as her embarrassment faded. She laid her hand over his. “But why…?”

    With a low chuckle, Ace nuzzled his head against hers. “We haven’t had much time alone for a while. I wanted to hold you. And I can’t when the others are around.”

    Giggling lightly, Deuce reciprocated the action. “Why is that?”

    “I’d rather avoid the extraneous comments,” said Ace coolly. “There are already enough comments about us when they don’t see us…together.”

    Tilting her head slightly, she smiled gently. “I understand,” she replied, her eyes suddenly widening as she looked up. “Oh! Ace, your glasses…!”

    The glasses in question were still unevenly balanced on his nose. Ace only wore them when he was reading for long periods of time, which was happening more and more often these days. It was a sign of the stress he was under. Even though he never complained about his work, she knew that the escalating war had been taking its toll on him. He had taken it upon himself to find out all he could about anything that could help them. Deuce reached up with the hand she had laid on his and gingerly pulled them off to set on top of his book nearby.

    “Thank you,” Ace said as he watched her set the reading glasses down. “I had forgotten.”

    “You didn’t have to wear them so often before,” answered Deuce faintly, worry creeping into her voice. “Don’t push yourself too much, okay?”

    At this, Ace went silent. His eyes lowered slightly, he seemed to consider something in his mind before shaking it off. He was broken out of his reverie when Deuce gently placed her hand against his cheek, his eyes refocusing on her.

    “Sorry,” he whispered. “Don’t worry about me.”

    “I can’t help it,” she said tenderly. “I care so very much about you.”

    Ace gave her a small smile, leaning into her hand. “…You know, the others won’t miss us if we stay like this for a while.”

    Deuce smiled. “I suppose not. When we left, I think Nine and Eight started a competition of some sorts in the classroom. They might be occupied for quite some time.”

    “Let’s take a nap then,” suggested Ace, leaning back in the recliner fully and resting his head against the crown of hers.

    “Okay,” Deuce agreed. She patted his jaw affectionately once more and her hand drew down to rest against his chest as he closed his eyes.

    Letting out a sigh of content, Deuce curled up into his embrace and closed her eyes. Ace was incredibly warm and smelled mildly of the soap they all used to wash their clothing, along with a scent that was purely him. As she drifted off to sleep, she supposed Cinque had been right after all—she had been in love, and if the way she felt in his arms was of any indication, she was deeply in love with him. With these thoughts, she snuggled against his neck even more, causing him to grin slightly.

    Even in a warring world, there could still be happiness.


	5. The First and Second Duet

    The girls of Class Zero sat huddled around one of the desks toward the center of the classroom. They had been working diligently on the assignments in front of them, but had shifted to chatting about the latest news as they got most of the way through.

    “So Eight likes you, Cater?” inquired Rem, leaning forward in her seat with interest. “Did he already confess?”

    Cater shook her head. “Hmm, well, no. But he’s been trying to talk to me more and spend more time with me. It’s been going on for a while…”

    “Hasn’t Eight had a crush on you since we were children?” said Seven pointedly, scribbling out a line on her paper. “He does tend to go out of his way for you.”

    “Wha? No way! That shrimp?” Cater exclaimed in surprise, her pencil dropping from her hand.

    “That’s sweet though,” remarked Rem with a gentle smile. “He’s trying to show you he cares.”

    Straightening her papers as she finished work on them, Queen nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Deuce, didn’t you and Ace do something similar when you started dating?”

    A mild blush spread across her cheeks when she thought back to those times with her and Ace shyly testing the waters of their new relationship. Letting out a small giggle, Deuce smiled and nodded. “Oh, yes! He and I spent more time together and then…”

    “Hee-hee, Acey does have a soft side for Deucey!” Cinque squealed gleefully. “So cute!”

    “So Eight might actually be trying to ask me out?” asked Cater, crossing her arms. “I guess it wouldn’t be the worst, but…I think it would feel a little weird.”

    Seven raised an eyebrow. “What is?”

    “Dating someone you grew up with. Who’s...you know, always just been there,” Cater answered.

    “You might be surprised, Cater,” said Deuce knowingly. “Eight might show you a completely different side to him.”

    “Just like Ace does for you, huh?” teased Rem, patting Deuce’s arm lightly.

    “And just like Machina does for you, Rem,” Deuce retorted jokingly. A couple months of dating Ace had clearly rubbed some of his dry wit onto her. “You never know.”

    Pursing her lips slightly, Cater stared at her paper. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll think about it.”

    Sice snickered. “Heh, looks like Ace started something here. Next thing you know, Machina will actually get the balls to tell Rem here what the rest of us already know.”

    “Rem, can I talk to you for a bit?”

    At the sound of the male voice from near the classroom door, the girls turned to see Machina approaching them—or more specifically, Rem. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed to the subject of so many glances at the same time and scratched the side of his head slightly.

    “Oh, of course, Machina,” said Rem, putting her papers into her folder and standing up.

    “I must be psychic,” Sice muttered sardonically.

    A smile on her lips, Deuce watched as Machina led Rem out of the classroom and then turned back to her paper. Ace had finished the assignment already and he was likely waiting for her. She wrote another sentence, only to notice Cinque looking at her curiously. “Oh, what is it, Cinque?”

    Cinque tilted her head. “Hmm…is Acey really that different with Deucey?”

    “Well, it’s not that he’s really different…” murmured Deuce. “It’s just…he is a little more playful and open with his affection, I suppose.”

    “I’ll admit, it’s a bit hard to imagine Ace being playful or affectionate,” Seven commented, her lips curled in a smile. “He always tries to keep that cool demeanor.”

    To everyone’s surprise, Sice turned to Deuce with an inquisitive look in her eye. “Has he kissed you then?”

    The other girls turned their attention once more to Deuce, who appeared quite stunned. A moment passed and a mild blush made its way onto her face as she shook her head furiously in response. “N-Not yet…w-we…”

    “Heh, I guess he likes to take his time,” said Sice snidely.

    Queen sighed, shooting a disparaging look at Sice before placing a hand on Deuce’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Deuce. I’m sure when Ace is ready to take that step, he will.”

 

* * *

 

    Contrary to what the others might have thought, it wasn’t that Ace wasn’t ready to show her more affection. Rather, being ever so considerate, he didn’t want to push her to do anything too quickly or make her uncomfortable. Sometimes when they cuddled together, he would press gentle kisses to her forehead or hands, but nothing that could be considered less than gentlemanly. In turn, she would kiss him on the cheek, which she enjoyed immensely because of the flushed and dazed expression that would grace his features in response.

    Part of her wondered what kissing him would be like, more and more after her conversation with the other girls earlier that morning. But her shyness and embarrassment held her back from outright asking him for such a thing. While he was very good at recognizing when she was preoccupied, he often wasn’t sure of what exactly was on her mind. Then again, she could say the same of him.

    Deuce smiled as she saw Ace standing in the corral, two large chocobos on either side of him and two fluffy chocobo chicks hopping around his feet. The birds seemed to be quite enraptured with him—not that she could argue with that. A delightful sense of warmth grew in her chest and spread through her body as she approached him and heard him whistle the familiar opening notes of his favorite song.

    “Walk on, wandering souls. For your respite we pray. Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay…”

    His voice was quiet and soothing, especially when he was singing like this. The others all agreed that he was a talented singer, despite him knowing only one part of one song, but even as children, she had loved his voice. It had always held a certain enchantment for her and as they grew older, the additional timbre and depth that developed with him only made it better.

    As she came to him, a grin made its way onto his face. To her surprise, he brought his hands up to his mouth and mimed playing a flute as he whistled the next few notes of the song. Nodding in understanding, Deuce summoned her flute and placed it to her lips to accompany him.

    “Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free. So walk on and become the light that guides the way…”

    The chocobos warbled softly as Ace smiled at Deuce and reached over to pull her lightly toward him. Her back met his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her waist as he began again with his lips near her left ear.

    “Walk on, wandering souls. For your respite we pray. Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay. Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free. So walk on and become the light that guides the way.”

    Chirping happily, the baby chocobos flew up and hopped across her shoulder to his, causing Deuce to put her flute away and giggle. Ace chuckled in response, his eyes radiating fondness for both her and the creatures. The adult chocobos then began to nudge Ace affectionately, as if to ask him for an encore performance.

    “Aww, seems they took a shinin’ to you!” the chocobo handler greeted them as he walked up and drew the attention of the chocobos. The handler was a young man, probably a couple years older than the two of them, with the cloak and mask of the dominion legionaries. “Thanks for watching them for me there, Ace! Is this lovely lady your girlfriend?”

    “You’re welcome,” responded Ace, smirking as the chocobos went over to the handler. “And yes, this is Deuce. Deuce, this is Hishow, one of the chocobo handlers.”

    “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Deuce,” Hishow said amiably. “Don’t worry, as long as I’m around, you won’t have to fight off chocobos to get to your boyfriend. Even though he seems to be quite popular with males and females of all species...”

    Placing her hands on top of the hands Ace had around her waist, Deuce laughed at this comment as Ace blushed slightly. Over the years, whenever Class Zero had gone out, Ace had garnered attention from males and females alike, which often was the crux of several jokes in the former case. Apparently such sentiments were also known around Akademeia.

    “Thank you very much, Hishow,” Deuce spoke between giggles.

    “If you don’t require anything else from me, Hishow, we’ll be off,” Ace announced, cutting through their laughs and leading Deuce away by the hand.

    Hishow smiled, nodding in understanding. “Sure, sure, you kids enjoy yourselves!”

    Hurriedly, Ace led Deuce into the portal and back to the entrance hall. Though normally he would release her hand once they were sight of other people, they immediately went off to the dorms. At this time of day, almost no one was in the dorms, so he kept her hand in his and led her through the halls.

    Something had stirred in his chest at the chocobo ranch when he saw Deuce playing her flute in his arms. The look of joy on her face as she played had pleased him greatly and he felt an overwhelming urge to shower her with affection. He quickly led her to his room, a practical spot for being alone with each other, briefly noticing the curious look on her face as he closed the door behind him.

    “Ace?”

    Without a word, Ace pulled her into an embrace, which Deuce reciprocated eagerly. Wrapped in one another’s arms, they stood together silently, breathing each other in and reveling in the warmth. After several moments, Ace shifted slightly and pressed a kiss to her left temple. He smirked proudly at her blushing face as they separated.

    “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself,” he said playfully before kissing her on the right side and giving her a sincere and adoring look. “Your music is wonderful…your smile is wonderful…you’re wonderful…How could I not want you to myself right now?”

    It was moments like this when she was reminded of how emotional and passionate the young man in front of her could be. The affection and sincerity in his eyes warmed her heart and body, while his words—though he often did not entirely mean for them to be romantic—brought her to an emotional high. He had yet to tell her that he loved her, but when he showed such emotion to her, she felt as though it was almost an unspoken truth.

    With that thought, Deuce lifted herself onto her toes and swung her arms around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush mildly. “You’re the sweetest, Ace,” said Deuce bashfully. “I’m so happy with you.”

    “I’m glad,” he replied, placing his hands on her waist and holding her close. “I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy.”

    “You know, I always wanted to accompany you on my flute,” Deuce admitted in a small voice. “I was really happy when you asked me to…”

    He paused, the information processing and generating an idea in the depths of his mind. “You never told me,” he mumbled, pressing his cheek against her hair. “I’m glad I could give you that.”

    Smiling, she nuzzled against his neck lovingly. “Ace…”

 

* * *

 

    Most people don’t fall in love at the age of sixteen. Ace knew this from a rational standpoint, but his heart was certainly begging to differ. It was strange to think that he had fallen for Deuce, a girl he had practically lived and grew up with, but at the same time, it made a bit of sense to him. They understood each other in a way that no one from the outside could.

    Admittedly, when they had first met so many years ago, he hadn’t thought much of any of the others, let alone her. But she was someone that he didn’t mind being with, since she was kind and considerate and tried her best not to bother him. She was the shyest and demurest of the girls and the most prone to nervousness and worry, yet she carried herself firmly as was expected of their class.

    Every so often though, she would show her uncertainty and he felt a certain need to reassure her. It was as if he could feel and understand her worries and anxieties and wanted to help her. So he would. Eventually, their emotional intimacy developed into something more and here he sat today, a sixteen-year-old boy in love. Perhaps it would have been fairer to say that they had been falling in love for years.

    For the most part, Ace had never considered himself a particularly romantic guy, even as he had been dating Deuce. He wasn’t inclined to show her grand gestures of his love or bring her flowers and chocolates like other guys might have done for their girlfriends, but he did do his best to make her happy. So he paid close attention to her, her words, her actions, her gestures, anything that clue him into what could bring her happiness.

    He sat on his armchair, an old piece of parchment in his hand, nervousness building in his chest. Smooth and deliberate handwriting graced the page, with words Mother had taught him over a decade ago. Breathing out to calm himself, Ace closed his eyes. He wanted to do this for her, while they still had the chance.

    Just then, he heard a knock at the door. Putting the paper down on the side table, he stood and walked over to open the door. Deuce smiled as he let her inside and closed the door behind her. Ace grasped her hand before he could lose his nerve, as she looked up at him curiously.

    “Ace? What is it?”

    “Deuce…you said you wanted to accompany me with your flute…” began Ace, unsure of exactly how to say what he was thinking. “If you want to now…”

    A brief look of surprise crossed her face before turning into an enthusiastic smile. That one time at the chocobo ranch had been great fun, but it was just for an audience of chocobos and was short-lived. She had secretly wished for more, but at the same time, recognized that there couldn’t be more. After all, everyone knew that Ace only ever learned the first few lines of that song and had no interest in any other song. She certainly hadn’t expected him to consider doing a duet with her again, let alone ask her for it.

    “O-Of course!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “I-If you would like to…”

    Gently, he led her to sit down on the edge of his bed before backing away and pulling out a card from his satchel, which sat on the table. He flicked it into the air, allowing the silencing magic to swirl around the room, and then skillfully caught the card and slid it back into his bag. It was to be a private concert for the two of them only.

    With a flicker of her own magic, Deuce summoned her flute. She brought it to her lips and waited as Ace cleared his throat and took a deep breath. The two locked eyes, sharp blue to turquoise, as she began to play the first notes of their song.

    “Walk on, wandering souls. For your respite we pray. Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay. Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free. So walk on and become the light that guides the way.”

    Well-practiced words and notes rang out together beautifully, the soft, crisp notes of her flute contrasting against his smooth, expressive voice.

    “You stare up at the stars in the clear, endless skies. Slowly fading light shining black in your eyes. Completely consumed with your search for certainty, you’ll lose sight of everything and get left behind.”

    Her eyes widened in shock. Ace had a habit of humming or singing the song softly when he stood around idly at times, but he had always just sung the first few lines. She and the others had all but assumed it was the only part he knew, just like the rest of them. By sheer habit, she continued to play steadily even as her thoughts and emotions raced.

    “We can leave this place together—all alone, you and me. We both know the road to follow and where it may lead. But if the world should come between us and you fall behind, then just call me. Let your voice reach out, and tell me to wait because…” Ace’s eyes softened. “All I know is that I want to be with you. To be the one that, ‘till the end, you can hold on to. I’ll keep you safe, so place your trembling hand in mine. I’d give everything for you to say that you’ll stay by my side.”

    He stood before her now, his gaze soft and yet ardent at the same time.

    “We’ve made it through the storm. Take my hand and run with me. Someday, somewhere, only the two of us, together we’ll be free.”

    Carefully, he bowed his head over her slightly, watching her closely as he continued.

    “‘Don’t waste your life on me. Save yourself instead,’ you cry. ‘I’ll be fine on my own.’ Pain wells up in your eyes. I brush away your tears and take you into my embrace. ‘My life is only wasted without you by my side.’”

    Turning away slightly, he stepped over to her side, the melodic words flowing from his lips.  

    “I thought I’d leave this place forever—don’t look back, just let go. In the rain, I started walking down the only road I know. And just when I thought it was over, you’re the freedom that found me. So don’t let me go. I’ll run anywhere if you’ll run with me too.”

    She didn’t dare take her eyes off him, her sincere and impassioned Ace.

    “I just want to hear your voice to ease the fear inside. Just let me know that you’ll be here, always by my side. Let me take you in my arms and hold you tight. If I’m with you and you’re with me, we can get through the night.”

    To her surprise, he moved to sit next to her, his eyes closing briefly as he sang the next lines.

    “I know the way you feel. You don’t have to lie to me. So close your eyes now. I’ll stay right here with you. I’ll be fine—you’ll see.”

    And as if to reflect him, she closed her eyes and mentally descended in the melodious tones floating between the two of them.

    “And I know that if I promise it’s not over, it’ll only make the end come even sooner than expected. But when the day comes and there’s nothing left to do, I’ll be here to reach my hand out, because the end won’t come as long as I’m with you.”

    His arm came around her and his hand came to rest on her waist, causing her eyes to flutter open in surprise. A gentle smile graced his lips as he continued.

    “And of everyone in this world, you and I came together. If you call me and let your voice reach out, then I’ll always wait because…”

    Pulling her against his side, he allowed her to lean her head against his.

    “All I know is that I want to be with you. To be the one that, ‘til the end, you can hold onto. I’ll keep you safe, so place your trembling hand in mine, I’d give everything for you to say that you’ll stay by my side. I want to hear your voice to ease the fear inside. And let me know that you were here, waiting right by my side. All I know is that I want to be with you, because you’re the one that, in the end, I can hold onto. We’ve made it through the storm. Take my hand and run with me. Hold on tight now—don’t you let go of me. I know the way you feel. You don’t have to lie to me. Someday, somewhere, only the two of us, together we’ll be free.”

    Deuce stopped, her part complete, and lowered the flute from her lips to her lap. Staring into the blue depths of his eyes, she felt an overwhelming rush of warmth and contentment. Their duet was everything she had wanted it to be and she knew that he had done this for her.

    “To a place without…”

    Soft notes tapered into the air.

    “Walk on, wandering souls. For your respite we pray. Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay. Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free. So walk on and become the light that guides the way.”

    Ace shifted and leaned down, touching his forehead to hers as they held their gazes. “The light shining brightly to guide the way,” sang Ace in almost a whisper. “A rainbow-colored light…”

    The two of them sat in silence for some time after the notes faded away, just pressed against each other and savoring the presence of the other, their shallow breathing the only sounds in the room. Then, in almost an instant, the two teenagers realized how close they truly were. She was held close to him with his arm, their foreheads pressed together and their noses brushing against each other’s.

    Unconsciously, her eyes drifted downward to his lips as his did to hers, thoughts and emotions running helter-skelter. Daring to cross that line, she leaned upward, only for her eyes to widen when she felt a soft pressure against her lips. Gently, his lips caressed hers and she responded in like, slowly closing her eyes. With a faint flicker of magic, the flute in her hands dematerialized and she gripped the edge of his tunic with her fingers.

    It was like she imagined it would be. His kiss was just like him: deliberate, intimate, and unerringly tender. She breathed in as he tilted his head and pressed harder against her mouth, desire mixed with love. It made her melt for him all over again, an incredible warmth filling her and her heart pounding with exhilaration, like they were in a fairy tale. He seemed to know just what to do to both calm and excite her at the same time.

    Seeing and feeling her relax, Ace hugged her closer with both arms. Slowly pulling back from her lips, he admired her flushed profile with an affectionate grin as her eyes flickered open again.

    Their eyes locked again and Deuce gave him an alluring look, compelling him to lean forward, pressing their foreheads together. “Ace…”

    “Deuce…” he murmured warmly before kissing her again.   

    He took the lead once more, melding their lips with an overwhelming passion. Their eyes fell closed simultaneously, reveling in the sensation of each other. Warmth beginning to pool in her abdomen, she moved against him. Her hands came up behind his neck, fingers curling into the back of his smooth blond hair, and she pulled him closer still. He gave a quiet yet pleased hum from deep in his throat in response, only to force himself to pull away momentarily after.

    “Mm…A-Ace…?” she mumbled breathily, meeting his heated gaze.

    With a low chuckle, Ace loosened his grip on her, hands lingering at her waist. “We shouldn’t go too fast,” he said huskily. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

    Deuce smiled sweetly, stroking the hair on the back of his head lovingly. He was so wonderfully considerate that she felt like the luckiest girl in Orience for having him as her boyfriend. Embracing him, she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “It’s okay. I want to keep going.”

    Ace breathed out sharply through his nose. She wanted him to continue, but he didn’t want to push her too quickly. His self-control was already severely weakened. “Okay,” he agreed, withdrawing from her and standing up to calm his nerves. “If you want to…”

    All of the sudden, he felt her hand touch his cheek. Delicately, she turned his head so that he was looking at her. A concerned look graced her features. “Ace? Are you okay? If you don’t want…”

    “It’s not that,” Ace told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I just…I…I don’t want you to feel forced to do anything with me or…”

    “I don’t,” she assured him, her hands coming up to touch his chest. “Oh, Ace, you’re so very kind and caring. You make me feel happy and warm and wonderful! And you’re the best boyfriend I could ever want or ask for. I trust you.”

    A mild blush grew across his cheeks at these comments. “A-Are you sure?”

    “I’m sure.” Blushing deeply, she stood on her toes and met his lips with hers chastely. Her heart thumping with a mixture of adoration and nervousness, she pulled away with a whisper. “I love you.”

    The tensing of the muscles underneath her fingers told her that he had definitely heard her. She held back a giggle while she watched the emotions flit across his face: surprise, confusion, fear, acceptance, happiness, and at last, love. He clearly hadn’t expected her to say that.

    His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard and he breathed out unsteadily. Slowly, his hands drifted down her arms, his softened blue eyes watching her closely. “I meant what I said—sang, Deuce,” he said, his voice low and serious. “I want to be with you…because I love you too.”

    Smiling radiantly, Deuce pushed herself up on her toes once more and he leaned down to meet her kiss. She succumbed to his rough kiss, angling her head for better access as he bore down on her. His hands drew back up her arms, one grasping her upper arm and the other sliding over her shoulder and along her neck to stroke her cheek. Fisting her hands in the front of his tunic, she pressed harder against him, growing ever bolder from his love and affection.

    “Ace…” She let out a pleased moan as his hand trailed to the small of her back.

    Her body was starting to burn with a fire she had never really felt before now and she wanted nothing more than to be closer to him, some base instinct itching for more touches, more kisses, more contact—just more. They separated momentarily to breathe and to his surprise, her fingers curled around the gold clasp that held his cape together sitting against his chest. He looked at her hand on the clasp and then her with inquisitive eyes. Carefully, she pulled his cape off and set it on his desk chair.

    “Okay?” he asked, hand lingering at her shoulder and lightly fingering the edge of her cape.

    Wrapped around her neck like a scarf, her cape extended down her back like his did, but was held in place with a golden clip. She nodded shyly and he deftly undid the clip, pulling the cape off and setting it on top of his. He kissed her again, their eyes falling closed and his hands pressing against her back to guide her toward him.

    Stepping back, he gradually pulled her along until the back of his knee met his bed. Still connected at the lips, they fell onto the bed, a low grunt escaping him as her body came on top of his. Her arms moved around behind him, her hands teasing the strands of hair at the nape of his neck.

    In their position, his hands grasped her waist, holding her comfortably against him. As she shifted up to settle between his legs, her short tunic lifted and his fingers met the skin of her back. His hands were incredibly warm and she arched her back in delight as he naturally roamed the smooth skin.

    Just then, she felt his tongue skim across her bottom lip. Instinctively, she parted her lips for him and his tongue dove in to meet hers. With a low growl in his throat, Ace pulled Deuce closer, their bodies flush together with no space left between. If he could get addicted to a taste, it would be her. Unwilling to part, they breathed hard through their noses as their mouths moved together.

    She didn’t know how long they stayed in that position, bodies and lips locked together, but it was long enough that her neck and shoulders were beginning to become sore. Reluctantly, she broke away, meeting his heated blue eyes and then kissing the corner of his mouth. As she did so, she rolled her shoulders slightly to try to relieve the soreness.

    Seeming to sense her discomfort, Ace placed his hands on her waist and flipped them so that she laid back against his pillow. He propped himself on his hands, situated on either side of her shoulders, moving most of his weight off her. Deuce curled her fingers through his hair fondly and watched through half-lidded eyes as he lowered his head to her.

    Slowly, he kissed along her jaw and then down her neck, one hand moving behind her back to caress her bare skin once more. The heat in her body built and roiled and she tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access to her neck. She clenched the fingers wrapped in his hair and squealed softly as he lightly nipped and caressed the skin, encouraging him to continue.

    “Deuce…” he rumbled, moving up to mash their lips together again.

    A powerful longing to feel more of him washed over her and she moved her hands to lightly push on his chest, causing him pull away and give her a questioning look. Was she uncomfortable with how fast they were moving? Did he overstep her boundaries?

    “S-Sorry. Was that too much?” he mumbled, lowering his head in shame.

    “No…mm…I…umm…” started Deuce, blushing at her urges.

    Confusion wrinkled his brow and he looked at her. At the sight of her flushed skin and heaving chest, his voice stopped in his throat. Before this relationship, he hadn’t had any experience in love, much less expressing that love, but he thought she had been enjoying his attentions. Perhaps he had been reading her wrong?

    Her hands brushed across his chest, interrupting his thoughts. He watched curiously as her fingers slid under the topmost belt that held his tunic closed and undid the buckle. Realization hitting him, his eyes widened with shock and he stared at her. Under his intense gaze, she blushed even more, but concentrated at unbuckling all the belts on his tunic.

    After a few moments, she had finished undoing all the buckles. He breathed in deeply as she smoothed her hands over his tight black undershirt and then pushed his tunic off. Leisurely, he let the black tunic fall to the floor beside the bed and leaned over her again.

    Pressing a kiss to her cheek, Ace brought a hand up to grasp her shoulder. “Tell me what you want, Deuce,” he whispered quietly into her ear, his hand stroking down her side. “Just tell me…”

    “I want…I want to feel you…” she uttered, fingers timidly touching the hem of his shirt.

    With a sharp intake of breath, he leaned back slightly and cupped her face with one hand while the other came to the first belt on her tunic. He pressed their lips together once more, being sure to thoroughly express his desire for her. When they pulled apart moments later, his hand rested on the clasp of her tunic’s highest belt and he gave her a searing look, conveying his intention.

    Timorously, she gave him a consenting nod and without further ado, he began to undo the fastenings on her tunic. When he pulled the first one open and her uniform shirt parted at the top, surprise graced his features as he saw pale flesh and realized that unlike the boys, the girls didn’t wear undershirts with their uniforms. Both of their faces reddened, but he quickly unfastened the other belts and let the tunic fall open.

    “Beautiful…”

    Taken in by her smooth, white skin, and gentle curves, he slid his hands up her bare sides to help her remove the tunic. Pulling it away and dropping it near his discarded tunic, he watched as she flushed bright red under his appreciative gaze. Pert, round breasts sat supported in a striped blue and white fabric bra, a hint of pink coloring her skin. She trembled a little, perhaps due to a mix of embarrassment and chill from the room. “A-Ace…”

    “What’s wrong?” inquired Ace in a low, concerned voice. “If you want, we can—”

    He stopped as she shook her head and her hands grabbed the bottom of his shirt. A shiver went through his body at the sensation and he leaned back down to her. Nuzzling her nose with his, he captured her lips fervently, his hands wandering back down her sides to hold her by the waist. She met his passion with her own, fingers dipping under the hem of his shirt and brushing hard muscle.

    “Mmhmm…Ace…”

    “Deuce…”

    When they separated, she looked up at him giddily while he enjoyed her touch on his abdomen. At some length, she grasped his shirt and pulled up. He shifted to allow her to peel the tight undershirt off and drop it to the side. Though she knew he didn’t have the physique of the bigger boys in their class, she had felt his firm muscles every time they embraced and knew that he was quite fit. Her gaze hovered upward to his chest, causing him to blush mildly and give her a bashful grin.

    Face set in awe, she skimmed her fingers down his body, from his solid shoulders to his chiseled chest to his firm abdomen. He shuddered pleasurably under her touch before bowing his head to resume his treatment of her neck. This time, he sucked lightly and moved down, pressing gentle kisses to the exposed skin of her breasts. In response, she shook with delight, setting her hands against his stomach.

    “A-Ah…Ace!” she trembled and gasped, fingers curling under his belt. “Ace…!”

    A smirk curved his lips momentarily before he dipped his head to the valley between her breasts and kissed it, eliciting a squeal from her. She squirmed slightly, grazing the lower part of his torso with her fingers. Groaning quietly in rapture, he drew back and his hands gripped her hips. In response, her hands came up to rest against his chest.

    “Deuce…” rasped Ace when she moved to kiss his throat. He swept her into another deep kiss and his hands wandered slightly lower before squeezing her.

    They were moving quite fast and her head was spinning with all the heightened emotions, but she wasn’t sure if they were ready for such an activity after having just kissed for the first time. As it was, he was willing to keep going to please her.

    “A-Ace…! W-Wait!” she panted, pushing slightly against his chest. “P-Please!”

    Immediately, he froze, almost as if someone had cast ice magic on him. His lips were on her shoulder, kissing and sucking at the pink skin, and he reluctantly withdrew from that spot. He met her gaze and shut his eyes tightly to regain clarity in his mind. “Deuce…”

    Cheeks pink with emotion, she drew back to look at him, tilting her head in concern. Her fingers stroking his chest, she watched as he took a deep breath.

    “Are you okay?” asked Deuce in a small voice. “D-Did I do something wrong?”

    Shaking his head, Ace chuckled wryly. “No, no, you did everything right,” he assured her, stroking her side. “Perhaps a little too right…”

    “What do you mean?”

    Ace reddened, lowering his head slightly in his awkwardness, but then stiffening as he realized where he was looking. Tearing his attention away from her feminine attributes, he cleared his throat. “I… umm…well…I’m very much physically attracted to you right now,” he said in a faint voice. “If we go any further…I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop…”

    After a moment of confusion, Deuce’s eyes widened with realization and she flushed red once more. “Oh! I…umm…I understand,” she answered, trying her best not to look down at the clear evidence of his embarrassment.

    Carefully, he moved off her and laid back on the bed next to her, his head sinking into his large pillow. She moved onto him to nuzzle the crook of his neck, her body pressed into his side. Letting out a deep breath, he wrapped an arm around her and willed his body to calm down.

    “I didn’t mean to get so carried away,” he admitted softly. “I’m sorry.”

    “Oh, Ace…” she cooed, stroking his chest and then pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Please don’t apologize. I enjoyed it very, very much. It felt so very good.”

    Sighing in relief and contentment, Ace buried his nose into the top of her hair, breathing her in. “That’s a relief. I was afraid you’d be uncomfortable with the whole thing.”

    “It was a little bit embarrassing at first,” Deuce said, a rosy smile on her face. “But you made it feel so good that I wanted more…But maybe I’m not ready to go that far.”

    “You’re not the only one,” Ace grumbled impishly, fingers lazily rubbing her side. “We should probably take it slow.”

    This comment drew giggles from Deuce as she remembered her conversation with the other girls a couple weeks back. Sice and Queen might have been right about him taking his time, but that was who he was, and she wouldn’t prefer it any other way. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, but remained silent through her quiet laughs.

    “I-I’m sorry. I just thought of a conversation I had with the others,” she giggled, drawing her fingers down the firm ridges of his torso. His bare chest rose with the deep breath he took in response to her wandering hand. “I think they expected us to kiss a long time ago.”

    “And more, I’m sure,” he retorted sardonically. Just then, concern wrinkled his features. “Did… I mean…were you expecting me to…?”

    Deuce sat up slightly, leaning over him to look him in the eyes. It was one of the few times she had ever seen him so uncertain, so vulnerable. The hand that was exploring his chest came up to touch his cheek and she kissed him, warmly and gently. He gave her a surprised look when they separated, causing her to laugh lightly and smile.

    “Oh, Ace, you don’t have to do anything different,” she said as her hand went back to tracing the muscles of his torso. “I’m perfectly happy with you. We can take those steps in our own time.”

    “…Okay.”

    Another giggle escaped her lips at his simple reply, which hinted at his awkwardness. She had no doubt that he had unintentionally gotten caught up in his own emotions. Although, to be honest, she had as well. Placing another kiss to his cheek, Deuce huddled against him, exhilarated at the feel of his arms around her and their bare skin pressing together.

    When they were younger, more children than adults, she had fantasized about moments like this with Ace—moments where they wouldn’t have to worry about school or training and they could just be them, together, in love. Perhaps it was too much to say that she was in love with him back then—it was a childhood crush first, after all—but now, she knew how deeply she felt for him. And more importantly, he reciprocated her feelings.

    Suddenly overcome with a desire to tell him about her train of thought, Deuce shifted slightly to look up at him. He stared back at her, soft blue eyes half-lidded in an odd mix of desire and lethargy. Pushing herself up, she pressed a slow and gentle kiss to his lips, wanting to show him how much she loved him.

    “Oh, Ace…I…I had quite a crush on you when we were children, you know,” she murmured as they parted. “When we were still back in the Remote Branch. I believe I still did when I asked to spend more time with you before we started dating…”

    “That so?” he inquired amusedly, his hand sliding up to cup her face. “Guess you were more in tune with our love than I was. I think you still are, sometimes.”

    “You’re just more reserved about it, I think,” she answered thoughtfully. “You were so very passionate minutes ago.”

    His face reddened, sharp features contorting mildly to show his embarrassment. “W-Well, you were…I mean, I love you and I…wanted to…show you.”

    It was clear that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the subject quite yet, having never experienced love and the intensity of how he felt for her. He stopped out of consideration for her, she was sure. And he wouldn’t continue without her consent. Still wanting to feel him, she came to the decision that she would have to make the first move.

    “Ace?”

    “Hmm?”

    “Can we take just another step further?”

    His eyes widened instantly. “W-What do you mean? I-I don’t…”

    “You won’t do anything bad. I trust you.”

    Making sure that he was still watching her closely, she trailed her hand down across his navel, dangerously close to his strained belt and pants. The tension in his face was almost too endearing for her. Reaching over, she took his free hand in hers and brought it to her waist, just below the hand that held her. Gently, she dragged his hand to the waistband of her skirt and hooked his thumb under it.

    “Are you sure?” he asked quietly, his heart pounding.

    The blush on her face might have seemed permanent at this point. In her boldness, she kissed him once more and then brought her lips to his ear. “Just take this off, so we’ll be more comfortable. Please?”

    He nodded, understanding her desire and relaxing. Together, they pulled down on the plaid red skirt and he tossed it on top of their tunics. Eyes wandering downward, he breathed out an appreciative sigh at her beauty and smirked as he saw her striped blue and white panties.

    “They match,” he muttered teasingly, his free hand stroking her flat belly. “Cute.”

    “D-Don’t stare...it’s embarrassing.”

    Almost instantly, the arm around her tightened and he pulled her up to lay on top of him. She let out a squeak as her belly made contact with the bulge in the front of his pants and he growled. His hand came up to tilt her chin up so that he could look her in the eye. “I think you’re missing the point here, Deuce,” he said in a low, husky voice. “I love you and every part of you.” Their lips met again and she laid her hand on his chest.

    Even in his impassioned state of mind, he was so charming and sweet, and it made Deuce’s heart soar knowing that she was the only one Ace was like this with. As this thought came to her mind, he began to caress her tongue with his and she responded in earnest, inadvertently rubbing against his excitement. He groaned, bringing his free hand to massage the small of her back.

    They parted slowly, their eyes matched in intensity. Deuce then pushed lightly against his chest, carefully sitting up on his legs. She held back a laugh as she noticed his gaze lower to her breasts briefly and then snap back up to her face.

    “Stay still for me?” she quietly questioned, dragging her hands down his front to his abdomen.

    “Of course.” Eyes wide with a mix of surprise and curiosity, he released her to grasp the bedsheets and watched with increasing alarm as she reached for the buckle on his belt. “D-Deuce?”

    Delicately, she pulled the black leather strap out of its loop and undid the buckle. Ace breathed in sharply as she unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper, revealing the black fabric of his boxers. Without a word, he lifted his hips, allowing Deuce to shuck off the white pants and drop them onto the floor. Sighing in relief, Ace wrapped his arms around Deuce once more as she crawled back up to lay her head on his chest.

    “Does it hurt?” inquired Deuce worriedly, pressing a kiss to his collarbone.

    “No, it’s just a little uncomfortable. Don’t worry about it,” he rumbled, his fingers skimming down her bare back. Leaning down, he nestled his nose against her left temple and tickling her nape with his gradually calming breath. “I suppose I should have expected this…you’re so lovely that I couldn’t help myself.”

    Hiding her pink face from him, she kissed his chest. Though Ace had become more openly romantic with her since the beginning of their relationship, it still brought a rush of warm emotions to her every time he said something like that. When she had entertained thoughts of kissing him before, she hadn’t quite expected this—not that she was complaining. She definitely wanted more of it.

    Before she knew it, the question on her mind escaped her lips. “C-Can we do this again?” she asked him in a shy whisper.

    “If you want,” he answered, reaching over her to the other side of the bed where his blanket had bunched up. He pulled it over the both of them before wrapping his arm around her again and squeezing her lightly and caringly.  

    With a happy sigh, Deuce snuggled into his embrace, her leg hooking onto his to pull herself closer to him. “I love you, Ace.”

    She could feel him smile against the side of her head. “I love you too, Deuce.”

    The two of them laid there, curled up in each other’s warmth. Combing his fingers through her hair, Ace began to hum contently. Deuce smiled at the familiar tune. To think, when they were younger, they had thought nothing more of the song than a pleasing melody, despite its somber lyrics and overall tone. It had always been Ace’s favorite song regardless, but perhaps now she would be calling it hers as well. Especially if they were to do another duet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm. That accelerated a little faster than I had originally intended. XD
> 
> Oh well. I'm shuffling around ideas about what to do from here, so if anyone has any ideas, feel free to let me know!


	6. Fleeting Lives

    The quiet pitter-patter of shoes against metal rang in the corridor as the cadets crept through the Militesi facility. They were sent on an infiltration mission, to gather data and potentially destroy the new MA that the Militesi researchers were developing. But they were frightfully far from home, close to the heart of enemy territory.

    “Damn, my toes are still freezing,” huffed Nine before suppressing a sneeze. “Why’s it so damn cold in the Empire, huh?”

    “That’s how the climate here is, dumbass,” Sice scoffed while they ducked behind a crate to avoid a floating sentry machine passing by. “Suck it up.”

    “It is quite cold, even inside,” said Deuce softly, rubbing her hands together. “No wonder the soldiers we’ve seen are always bundled up in their armor.”

    Peering around the corner, Ace pulled the sleeve of his tunic up to expose his forearm and then held it in front of Deuce in wordless offer. Gratefully, Deuce placed her chilly fingers on his skin, taking in the warmth that her boyfriend somehow always exuded. He flinched slightly at the cold sensation, but said nothing as he kept watch for the sentry they could hear coming.

    Behind her, Nine and Sice snickered. During their childhood, Ace had rarely paid attention to any of them, let alone gone out of his way to offer them help. Even back then, Deuce had tempered his loner attitude, shyly pulling him into their games and activities. After a bit of thought and reminiscing, the other members of Class Zero could agree that it came as little surprise that Ace would eventually fall for Deuce, their affections for each other stemmed in childhood and then blossoming in their adulthood.

    “Let’s move,” ordered Ace, sliding his sleeve back down as Deuce let go of his arm and the sentry flew by. “Sice, eyes to the back.”

    They walked down the windowed corridor cautiously, the stillness of the research facility making them more and more suspicious by the minute. The others were in the facility too, scouring alternate paths to their mission objective and securing their escape route. It would be troublesome if they got caught, not to mention dangerous.

    Stopping in his tracks as he set eyes on the giant machine in the laboratory beyond the windows, Ace could feel his breath catch in his throat. The MA was larger than any of the other model they had ever seen, carrying more heavy artillery than even the Colossi they had fought in the towns during the campaign to retake dominion territory. Spinning electrical arms and crackling energy aside, he could only imagine what this one would be capable of.

    “That’s the prototype?” he muttered, mentally taking in every detail.

    “Wow, I had no idea the empire could make weapons like that...” mumbled Deuce, shrinking away from the window.

    “I don’t know what it is, so we should just bust it up, ah?” Nine huffed with a smirk.

    Suddenly, the launchers on the MA rotated toward them and their eyes widened. With a whir, the the cannon on the prototype ignited and the four teenagers scrambled to the side, just narrowly avoiding the blast that wrecked the part of the corridor they were just standing in.

    “That...was kind of a shock,” commented Sice, eyes slightly widened but otherwise unaffected.

    “The hell, yo!?” Nine spat, practically fuming as he glared at the MA. “They were aiming for us!”

    “Everyone okay?” asked Ace, sharp blue eyes quickly surveying Deuce before turning to Nine. “I don’t think they’ve spotted us. Surely the alarm would be going off if they knew we were here. We may have unfortunately just been in the target zone for their testing.”

    “Found some trouble already? You’d better use the underground route,” said the smooth voice of Naghi, their Class Ninth and Intel liaison, through the COMM. “You should find the ladder back near the beginning of the hallway you’re in.”

    At that, the four turned back, quickly locating the ladder at the side of the hallway. Ace nodded and Nine and Sice went forward, letting Deuce stand in the center of their formation with Ace bringing up the rear. Caution was more important than speed, after all.

    The first to reach the ladder, Sice glanced down the hole and grimaced. “Ugh, don’t tell me this is the sewer…it stinks…”

    “Keh, like we got a choice,” said Nine with a shrug. He reached for the ladder, but recoiled as Sice smacked his hand away. “Ow! What gives, huh!?”

    “You’re going last!” hissed Sice, her features set with annoyance. “I don’t trust you not to be looking up our skirts.”

    “The hell!?”

    As the two began to squabble, Ace rolled his eyes and turned to Deuce. “I’ll go and make sure the coast is clear. You come after me,” he muttered to her, touching her arm.

    Deuce nodded and Ace unceremoniously pushed past Nine and Sice to get to the ladder, causing the two to stop bickering and look at him. Before they could say anything, Ace had already slid down the ladder and Deuce was gripping the side to follow him. Sice huffed irritatedly, but didn’t object as she moved to follow Deuce.

    “Wait, you don’t have a problem with Ace going first?!” questioned Nine incredulously.

    “He wouldn’t dare to stare,” Sice snapped back, taking ahold of the ladder. “Deuce would do way worse to him than I would.”

    “We can hear you, you know,” deadpanned Ace from below, his back facing the ladder as he scanned the area. “Watch the third to last rung, it’s broken.”

    Just then, Deuce let out a squeak of surprise as she slipped on the step just above the one in question, only to fall backward into Ace’s arms. She reddened at her clumsiness, but couldn’t find it in herself to protest being in his arms. “T-Thank you…”

    Ace gave a chuckle at her blush and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before setting Deuce on her feet. “Somehow I knew that would happen. You okay?”

    “I’m fine...thanks to you,” Deuce murmured, looking up at him adoringly and earning an equally loving look from Ace. He grinned and she smiled back, looks reserved only for each other.

    “You two are so sickeningly sweet, it’s nauseating,” Sice grumbled, nudging Ace’s side with her boot as she came down the ladder and making him wince. “Quit making goo-goo eyes at each other.”

    “Heh! Or maybe it’s the smell of the sewer that makes you sick, Sice,” Nine suggested snidely, landing next to the scythe-wielder. “Don’t blame them for your problem, eh?”

    “Did I ask for your opinion, Nine?” Sice shot back, shooting a glare at the older boy.

    “All right, focus on the mission, you two,” ordered Ace as he released Deuce. “Nine, take point.”

    Grunting in response, Nine summoned his spear and charged forward into the sewerway, cutting through a stray Hundlegs as he entered the main section of the channel. Begrudgingly, Sice followed the lancer, her nose wrinkled in distaste at the general situation. With a sigh, Ace gave Deuce a knowing look, his magic cards materializing in his hand with a flash of magic.

    “They are like that,” Deuce remarked, holding back a giggle. “It seems we haven’t changed much at all since we were children.”

    “Hmmm, suppose so.”

    “Hey, hurry up or we’re leaving you two behind!” came Sice’s voice, considerably more annoyed than before. “Get over here!”

    Another sigh escaped Ace’s lips and Deuce couldn’t help but shake her head amusedly at his exasperation as she jogged forward toward Sice. Missions were always serious business in Ace’s mind, but Sice and Nine tended to have more laidback attitudes toward missions in spite of the danger. They were confident in their abilities and didn’t think about what could go wrong, unlike Ace. It was the balance of confidence, action, and caution between the four of them, along with their special abilities, that made them a good forward team, so said Queen.

    Still, Deuce could understand Ace’s frustration and she placed a comforting hand on his forearm as he came up behind her, causing him to pause. When she quickly leaned up to peck him on the cheek, he gave her a small smile, blue eyes shining with affection and gratitude.

    “Thanks, Deuce. I’m glad you’re here.”

    “Don’t worry too much about Nine and Sice,” she added soothingly. “It’s how they are. We’ll be fine. We’ve trained for this.”

    All of the sudden, a hissing roar rang out from down the waterway and their eyes widened with alarm. On the other side of the room, they could see a giant serpent-like creature uncoiling itself. Ace sighed once more as Nine and Sice hacked away at the smaller monsters around and yelled at each other for waking the Marduk.

    “...Right...here we go again…”

 

* * *

 

    “Squad A, where are you?” asked Naghi through the COMM. “The other squads have reached their destinations.”

    “We’re just outside the Sensor Calibration Lab,” Ace responded in a low voice, silently gesturing to instruct Nine to watch the entrance. “Ready in a minute, Eight, Cater.”

    Cautiously, he led Deuce and Sice into the research lab, taking note of two short flights of steps, one on either side of the translucent walls that separated the entranceway from the research area, leading down to where all the computers and other machinery were being kept. Researchers in padded white lab coats and goggles scurried back and forth, working on the MA design.

    “About time!” chirped Cater in his earpiece. “Had trouble finding the place, hmm?”

    “Understood,” added Eight on the COMM. “Engaging in 30 seconds.”

    With another gesture, Ace directed Sice toward the steps to the left of the entryway while he and Deuce stepped toward the steps to the right. Crouching behind the translucent walls, they mentally counted the seconds as they watched the researchers’ movements closely. His sharp blue eyes honed in on a metal box with a red light on top of it—the alarm system—and Ace breathed out.

    “Now!” instructed Ace into the COMM, flicking one of his cards around the corner.

    The card cut through the air like a missile and sliced through the metal alarm module just as Sice jumped down into the lower area, scythe brandished and piercing blue eyes gleaming. Screams rang out as the researchers scrambled away from her. One frantically dashed toward the alarm box to sound it, only for the box to crackle with electricity and explode in front of him. A terrified yell tore from his lips as he looked back toward Sice, whose scythe had begun to glow a dull red. Bloodied bodies were strewn across machinery and floor alike, some with large open slashes across their torsos and others with more discreet gashes across their throats.

    Barely registering what had just happened, the scientist suddenly gasped, his neck seeming far too cold—too open to the air. He reached up, touching his throat, and his eyes widened at the sight of blood covering his gloved fingertips before he fell to his knees, the lack of air in his lungs weakening his legs. His lifeless body hit the metal floor with a resounding thump moments later.

    “Hmph...you beat me to him, Ace,” said Sice with a tsk, heaving her scythe onto her shoulder. “Wouldn’t have guessed you’d be so good at this with how soft you are.”

    While he would have normally tossed a remark back about Sice backhandedly complimenting him, Ace couldn’t help but stare at the slain researchers. Until now, he and the others had only fought soldiers and monsters, beings that posed an immediate danger to them and could both attack and defend themselves. The researchers were no such people. They didn’t even stand a chance. Their lives were so easily taken and something about that unsettled him.

    “Ace…” mumbled Deuce, sensing his hesitation and grasping his sleeve comfortingly.

    “They were defenseless,” he said quietly, his hands trembling just the slightest bit. “Should we have…?”

    Sice clicked her tongue in exasperation as her scythe dematerialized in her hands. “They were the enemy, Ace. Don’t tell me you feel sorry for them. That’s weak.”

    “...Yeah,” muttered Ace, placing a hand over the one Deuce had on his arm briefly, his eyes set in contemplation. “We should...check what the researchers were working on.”

    With that, he and Deuce wandered over to the command console below the largest displays in the corner of the lab. As Ace pulled out a small data transmitter from his pocket, stuck it into the console, and began typing away to search through the files, Deuce couldn’t help but nibble her lip in worry. She could practically feel the dark and conflicting thoughts flowing through his mind. He had always been a sensitive boy—wonderfully so, in her opinion—and his introspective, thoughtful nature was both a blessing and a curse in their battle-filled lives.

    “Ace, are you okay?” She placed her hand on his arm again and spoke softly, careful to be loud enough that he could hear her over the whirring of the machines yet quiet enough for her words to be unheard by Sice on the other side of the lab.

    “I just...I don’t know, it’s stupid. We were given orders, but I felt...I did feel sorry for those researchers…” he whispered, glancing at her with each file shift. “They barely knew what was happening before we just…killed them. They couldn’t have fought back, even if they had the weaponry or skills or…I don’t know. It’s a strange feeling.”

    “I think I understand.” She squeezed his arm lightly.

    He smiled at that, an odd mix of melancholy and relief in his features. “Only you would.”

    There wasn’t any need for him to explain further. Others would have pointed out that the researchers were contributing to the war effort and were therefore dangerous to them in an indirect way, but she knew such words would be unnecessary. He had already thought about that aspect of the situation. Perhaps he would have even brought up that civilians served a similar role, contributing to the war effort through providing resources and paying taxes for military defenses. Either way, he was still uncertain about so easily taking defenseless lives and she could empathize with that.

    “It’s okay to feel that way, Ace, no matter what Sice says,” she assured him.

    “...Thanks, Deuce.” He paused, turning to look at her intently and making her blush lightly under his gaze. “Really. I’m...I’m really glad you understand me.”

    “Of course, Ace,” she answered with a gentle smile.

    At that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her, but he shook his head and turned back to his task at hand. They were on a mission, after all. Scrolling through to the next tab, Ace’s brow furrowed and he bent over closer to the screen. “Program: Brionac Auto-Targeting…”

    “You find something?” asked Sice, strolling up from behind them.

    “The auto-targeting program. I can adjust these parameters to increase the range of error for that its target identification...” muttered Ace, his fingers tapping furiously at the keys as he deleted some sections of code and added some. “And we can cause a data overflow on this function here to force the program to crash before the target lock…”

    “Deuce, you’re dating a boy with too much time on his hands,” Sice commented, her eyes rolling back sardonically. “He somehow learned a completely new language.”

    “Oh, you mustn’t say that, Sice!” Deuce chided, her voice barely masking her amusement. “Ace is so very talented.”

    “Unlike some people, I read,” Ace grumbled as the program uploaded with a dinging sound. He pulled the data transmitter out of the console and stuck it back in his pocket before turning to the girls. “Everything was mostly theory though. It’s not like we have this kind of technology in the dominion…”

    Just then, Naghi rang in on the COMM. “Looks like Brionac’s system was modified. That should weaken her a bit. I’ll instruct the other groups on how to modify Brionac’s system in a similar fashion.”

    “Good work obtaining data on Brionac, kupo!” chirped Moglin proudly. “Now we should be able to target her weak spots! Here’s your next objective, kupo! Locate Brionac!”

    “Understood.”

 

* * *

 

    Considering the number of bodies they had left in their path, it was only a matter of time before the facility was on high alert. Even so, the enemies they were seeing were nothing new. They knew how to deal with these troopers and supersoldiers and heavy gunners. When Ace felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up though, he knew something was off.

    “What is that?” he asked quietly, sharp eyes darting around the large warehouse-like area. They just were coming up to a bridge and he was already on edge, some unknown force setting off his hyperalert senses.

    “Heh! Not even sweating!” boasted Nine as he set his foot against the body of a trooper and kicked it to pull his spear out. “It’s my turn! Bring it on!”

    “Fall back and let the l’Cie clean up!”

    At that, a masked figure in white armor with white cape on either of his shoulders appeared floating at the end of the bridge. The magical aura the figure exuded was immense and the four cadets froze, examining the newcomer warily.

    “It’s a White Tiger Primus l’Cie!” exclaimed Kasumi, the Dominion Tribune guiding them on this mission, through the COMM. “You’re no match—run!”

    Before the teenagers could react, the figure floated down to the floor and entered an offensive stance with his right hand pulled back to strike, a blinding sphere of light gathering within his palm. Suddenly, the light shot out like a sword and pierced through Nine’s chest, shocking the other three.

    “Ugghh…!”

    “I cannot allow you to impede,” said the l’Cie, Nimbus, in a deep, cold voice, lifting Nine into the air with his blade of light. “Your luck has run out.”

    “Nine!” shouted Deuce worriedly as the lancer struggled against gravity and the energy blade in his chest. “Oh no…”

    The blade of light flashed black and Nine dropped to the floor like a rock, unconscious and unmoving. “Remember this pain,” Nimbus added.

    Growling, Ace stepped forward to put a barrier between the l’Cie and the girls, his cards in hand to attack. Then, as quickly as he came, the l’Cie vanished. A moment passed as the cadets registered what happened and then they scrambled to Nine.

    “Hey! Wake up!” Sice yelled, kneeling next to Nine’s hip and pulling the torn part of his uniform away from the gaping gash in his chest. “Don’t go dying on us now!”

    Deuce placed her hands over the bloody wound, her magic glowing a light blue as she pumped as strong a level of curing spells as she could into the older boy. “I...I don’t know if it’s enough…” she mumbled, starting to feel the heavy drain of magical energy from her body.

    “He’s barely breathing,” muttered Ace, his hand aglow with blue as he pulled out a phoenix down and an ether from his satchel and added his curing power to Deuce’s. “Sice, keep watch.”

    Neither of them had been trained for injuries this severe, but they had to try. The whole exchange with the Primus l’Cie had happened so quickly that they barely had any time to react before Nine was already on the ground and bleeding out. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen one of them seriously hurt like this; their training had easily carried them through all the missions thus far, but he had been afraid that something like this would happen if they weren’t careful.

    To be sure, none of them had learned to fear death. Living with Dr. Arecia on the Remote Branch, they had little exposure to it and bore little thought to something so abstract. But the more they fought in this war, the more the idea of death in their world seemed to be sinking in. People who were there in the halls, in the ready room, in the lounge one day could disappear after a single mission and no one would feel anything. The Crystal made sure of that.

    Perhaps it was easy to think that it wouldn’t matter. If someone died, they would be forgotten by everyone else, so why should anyone dwell on it? Yet while he could easily forget someone he just passed in the corridor, he couldn’t imagine forgetting these pseudo-siblings he grew up with. In fact, he couldn’t remember much about his life before he met them. No matter how much he wouldn’t admit it, they were a part of who he was as much as a part of his past. He couldn’t just let that go, could he?

    “It’s starting to heal,” Deuce noted, her breathing a little too light for it to be healthy.

    “We’ll heal him as much as we can. At least until he’s conscious,” Ace instructed, passing the ether to her. “Mother will be able to heal him fully once we return.”

    In his mind, he had already decided. Their lives may have been as fleeting as any others, but he would do his best to keep everyone safe. He wouldn’t let them die. No matter what.

    After a couple moments, Nine twitched and gave a rasping cough, his wound almost entirely sealed, and his three teammates sighed in relief. True to his nature, Nine’s brow furrowed angrily and he smacked the metal floor with his fist. “What the...hell was that, yo?! That bastard…!”

    “Calm down, Nine, you’re going to open your wound again like that,” Ace reprimanded the lancer sternly. “Get up. We’ve still have a mission to finish.”

    “Don’t need to tell me twice!” Nine coughed once more before twisting around and pushing himself up off the floor. “Next time we see that guy…”

    “Don’t be stupid. Didn’t you hear Kasumi?” scoffed Sice, tapping Nine lightly yet firmly on the head with an annoyed look on her face. “That thing was a Primus l’Cie. You wouldn’t last any longer than you just did.”

    “You okay?” questioned Ace, picking Deuce up from the floor as he stood back up.

    She nodded, but still trembled in his hold. Her magical energy felt dangerously low. Letting her lean against him, he pulled out another ether from his bag and uncorked it for her. “Thank you, Ace,” she murmured softly, taking the small bottle from him.

    “You did well,” he told her with a reassuring smile. “You saved him.”

    “You did just as much as I did,” she responded bashfully.

    Ace huffed and released her, shaking his head. “I just helped you.”

    “Hey, lovebirds, let’s move!” yelled Sice, interrupting the two and causing them to look over at her and Nine. “Or did you forget that we still have a prototype to destroy?”

    “W-We’re coming!”

 

* * *

 

    They had joined up with the others on their way to Brionac and Ace was feeling a bit better about the situation. The twelve of them were the most comfortable in battle when they were all together, a byproduct of their time training together from childhood at the Remote Branch, and even Machina and Rem were starting to integrate themselves into the framework that was Class Zero’s battle synergy. Besides, while he commanded enough respect from Nine and Sice to keep them decently focused on missions, Queen and Seven were really the best at reining the two of them in when they got too rowdy.

    “You guys encountered the White Tiger Primus l’Cie?” Cater exclaimed after Sice explained their little group’s hold up. “No way!”

    “Unfortunately. He injured Nine pretty badly,” Ace replied, gesturing at the lancer’s torn uniform and marred flesh. “He needs to rest.”

    “I’m fine, hey!” snapped Nine before breaking into a coughing fit and wheezing out his next words. “I can...still...fight!”

    “Intruders approaching Area 025. Security teams, intercept at once.”

    All at once, the alarm was going off and some Imperial Communications Officer or another was ordering the enemy soldiers and MA operators to attack them. Even so, Ace was hardly worried. Each of them played their part skillfully, moving smoothly like it was second nature to them. Cater, Eight, Rem, and Queen sped around the hangar, ducking under and between Colossi to bring them down. Behind a barrier, Trey and King fired rapidly at the enemies further away, ensuring that they wouldn’t reach the others. Cinque, Machina, Jack, and Sice tore their way through the foot soldiers engaging them, while Seven kept guard over him, Deuce, and a recovering Nine.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Ace watched as Jack sidestepped the bullets of a heavy gunner and he tossed a card in that direction, the blast distracting the gunner long enough for Jack to slide in and give a counter-slash. Behind him, Deuce played away at her flute, her magic filling the room and keeping the others healed and alert. Within minutes, the battle was over, the lieutenant colonel in charge of the facility dead on the floor after calling them demons with his last breath.

    “Well then, I’ve given you all the help that I could give you,” reported Naghi whimsically over the COMM as they stopped to catch their breaths. “Your objective is just up ahead. I’m sure you can handle it. See ya! May the Crystal guide you!”

    “Haha, weirdo,” Cater snickered, shrugging her shoulders.

    “Let’s finish this and go home,” said Machina with a sigh. “I think I’m over the whole giant, creepy weapon-making facility deal.”

    Carefully, the fourteen of them made their way into the next room, which seemed to be a launching platform of sorts with a long narrow entranceway and a wide railed platform across most of the dark room. As they stepped out onto the open platform, an echoing, mechanical voice began to reverberate through the area.

    “The dominion? If they’re here…I’ll avenge your death right now.”

    All of the sudden, two clawed appendages appeared at the far end of the platform and it crumpled in a burst of light and electricity as Brionac rose into view. The members of Class Zero scattered as the platform shook and rumbled and Ace, Trey, Cater, and King began firing at the giant machine.

    “Me and good ol’ Number 277...Brionac!”

    Without any of its sensors, armor, or stabilizing functions, Brionac was far less of a threat than it had originally appeared when they arrived in the facility. Between the initial shots from Cater and King that cracked through its control system and its power panel and Ace’s cards slicing through the wires and circuits under its armor, it only took a few well-placed shots from Trey for the entire machine to begin to fail and crackle with electricity.

    “You won’t get away with this...you bastards!”

    The energy cannon on Brionac lowered, presumably for one final attack, and Ace instinctively teleported over to Deuce, grabbing and covering her protectively. “Everybody down!”

    Heeding his yell, the others dropped to the floor as the energy blast went off and explosions followed. When the bright light from the explosions subsided, they caught a brief glimpse of Brionac falling back and crumpling against the wall. The platform shook violently for a couple moments once more and then everything was still.

    “Is everybody okay?” inquired Seven, glancing around quickly as the others began to stumble to their feet and cringe at the smoke and ashes starting to burn at their senses. “Anyone hurt?”

    “Other than my knees from hitting the floor?” Cater complained with a frown. “Ow…”

    “W-We’re fine,” answered Rem, coughing slightly. “A little shaken, but not stirred.”

    His gaze on the burning pile of scrap that was Brionac, Ace breathed out deeply and Deuce slowly untangled herself from his arms. He turned his attention back to her and she smiled reassuringly at him, earning a small yet content smile back. “Mission accomplished,” he announced, drawing the others’ attention. “Time to pull out.”

 

* * *

 

    Cater, Cinque, and Trey had taken the front charge, guiding the rest of the group through the complex while King supported Nine in the back with Jack and Sice bringing up the rear. Everything had gone quiet after Brionac was destroyed, as if there were no other soldiers or researchers in the facility, and the closer they got to the exit to the extraction point, the more on edge they became.

    They walked into the open section of a warehouse and Ace immediately tensed, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling at the large amount of magical energy in the room. He could feel Deuce shrink just ever so slightly next to him, her sensitivity to magic equally as strong as his. The sensation seemed to hit the others one by one, their training-sharpened perception of fluctuations in magical energy causing them to feel nervous and tense up.

    “The Crystal…? Something is wrong,” rumbled a low, familiar-sounding voice.

    “Oh, great. This guy!” huffed Cater, pale green eyes set in irritation at the armored figure clad in white floating at the other side of the now far-too-small area.

    Beside her, Cinque seemed visibly uncomfortable, clearly affected by the strength of the magic aura in the room that could only belong to a l’Cie. Trey gave an inaudible sigh and closed his eyes for a brief moment. “We no longer have a choice,” he remarked.

    Suddenly, the ground began to shake again and the teenagers stumbled on their feet, Cinque ducking down with her hands over her head, Machina and Rem holding each other to keep their balance, and Ace steadying Deuce with a hand on her waist. Something was indeed wrong.

    “I can’t access all of my power…” said Nimbus in a low rumble. “But this is enough to deal with mice like you…”

    Before they had time to contemplate what was happening, bursts of light began to spear up from random areas of the floor, exploding all around them. The cadets scattered once more, dodging to two sides and drawing their weapons for yet another fight, though they hadn’t ever had an enemy quite like this before.

    “You and me got some unfinished business, l’Cie…!” snarled Nine, spinning his spear.

    “Are you crazy, Nine?! You’re still hurt!” Seven hissed, grasping his other arm and pulling him away before Nimbus could turn to focus on them. “Stay with Deuce and Trey!”

    “Keep her safe,” Ace ordered to Trey and Nine, earning nods from the two older boys. “Deuce, I think we’re going to need some boosting.”

    As Ace teleported out to join the others in fighting the l’Cie, Deuce brought her flute up and began to play, the light blue waves of her magic flowing out from the notes and to her teammates. Even as she started to hear the yells and screams of her friends, she closed her eyes and kept playing. That was her role, the orders she was given.

    “All imperial personnel,” came a voice over the intercom of the facility. “Special Order 497 has been issued at this time.”

    Nimbus paused, deflecting the bullets that King had shot at him without effort and looking out at the exhausted, mildly wounded teenagers. “Disappointing…”

    “All military actions, including combat, must be terminated immediately,” continued the announcement. “Due to the ceasefire agreement with Rubrum and Concordia.”

    “Wait—did they just say ‘ceasefire’?” Moglin cried out over the COMM as Nimbus disappeared from the cadets’ view. “Put down your weapons, kupo!”

    The sudden stop to combat was jarring for the cadets, but a blessing at the same time. Eight laid down on the floor, chest heaving with his rough breathing, while Queen, Cinque, and Jack all slid down to their knees, weapons dropped beside them in exhaustion. Panting for breath with weapons barely held, the others were not in much better shape. The Primus l’Cie truly was on a level all his own.

    Gradually, Ace stumbled back over to Deuce, Trey, and Nine, clutching his side with a hand. Her eyes wide with worry, Deuce ran to him, her hand reaching for his. “What happened…?”

    “I-It’s nothing too bad,” Ace responded, his voice too strained for Deuce’s comfort. “He just hit me a bit while I was trying to keep him away from Cinque and Seven…”

    Technically, he had succeeded, the girls able to avoid the lunge that injured Nine earlier with him distracting Nimbus. He had, however, also caught the ire of the l’Cie at that moment and only narrowly dodged being speared all the way through.

    “You’re bleeding, Ace!” Deuce said worriedly, drawing a hand smeared with blood away from his side. “Please sit down. I’ll heal you.”

    “No, just...don’t tire yourself out. I’ll take care of it.” He lowered himself to the floor slowly, giving a low hiss of pain as he grasped the wound. “It...looks worse than it is. Don’t worry about me.”

    Refusing to leave him be, Deuce placed a hand over the one he had on his gash, the familiar warm blue glow of her magic heating both his hand and his heart. “How can I not? You’re my love, Ace,” she whispered, placing her free hand on his cheek. “You do the same for me all the time.”

    “You...got me there,” he said with a low chuckle. “I just don’t want you to overuse your magic. You got pretty faint there earlier and the team needs you. And I do too, of course.”

    “Thank you. You’re always taking care of us,” she murmured quietly, unable to suppress her smitten smile. “And I’ll make sure to take care of you.”

    After glancing around quickly to make sure the others weren’t looking, she pressed a soft kiss to the side of his mouth, her cheeks a light pink from coyness when she drew away. He smirked, eyebrows quirked up amusedly at her adorable shyness. “Tease,” he grumbled lightheartedly. “I want more.”

    “When we get home,” she giggled, pushing his shoulder playfully.

    He huffed in mock irritation and she leaned her head against his shoulder, curling up next to him for warmth and comfort. Even though she didn’t know what was happening around them, his presence was all she needed to feel safe.

    “So…what now?” asked Jack suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. “I don’t really know what any of this ‘ceasefire’ stuff means.”

    “Essentially, a ceasefire is a temporary suspension of fighting and all military action between nations, typically one during which peace talks take place,” explained Trey, placing a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “You might recall that historically, most peace agreements have been drawn up during ceasefire times, including the famed Pax Codex and Fabula Pact shortly after…”

    “Ughhh...someone shut him up!” groaned Sice. “I’m too tired to deal with this!”

    Queen sighed and adjusted her glasses. “We’ll have to wait for further instructions from the dominion. As long as we’re under a ceasefire agreement, we should refrain from any autonomous actions that may be perceived as aggression.”

    Just then, the COMM rang and the voice of Kurasame came on their earpieces. “Class Zero, report to the entrance of the facility. Do not engage and be sure to cooperate with the Militesi forces. You will be escorted by them to Ingram for the peace talks between Rubrum, Concordia, and Milites.”

    “What is happening…?” muttered Machina bewilderedly. “Peace talks with Milites…”

    The others could only mumble in confused agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof, a month since the last update. My apologies. I got sick and had to catch up on work, so didn't have as much time as I would have liked to work on this.
> 
> But a lot of ideas started flowing in and I'll be starting a couple new works based on those, so please look forward to them!


	7. The Nature of Devotion

    It was a bad place to be. They were in the middle of the enemy capitol, surrounded by people they had been fighting far too recently. There may have been a ceasefire in effect as the peace talks went on, but fancy words and leaders’ orders would not erase the differences, the disagreements, or the hostilities that were still woven in everyone’s minds.

    All fourteen of them could feel the tension and uncertainty in the air. Most of Class Zero had gone out of the hotel after they met Queen Andoria, wary of judgmental eyes and thinly concealed anger, but had returned under orders. Ace, the last to arrive, appraised the others. They stood around the room they were assigned, worry and concern building until an even heavier sensation abruptly filled the air.

    “This feeling…” said Rem with a gasp.

    Machina tensed, resisting the urge to pull Rem away from the double doors they stood in front of. “A crystal jammer!?” he asked, feelings from the liberation flooding back—shock, fear, helplessness.

    “An imperial attack!?” exclaimed Seven.

    Trey brought his hand to his chin, a knowing look on his face. “As I suspected, we’ve been sitting in their trap this whole time. You see…”

    “Not now, Trey!” shouted Cater, interrupting the archer.

    Suddenly, the double doors slammed open and their orderly, Aria, ran in screaming, causing the group to turn. “Run! The chancellor and Kurasame are ou—”

    A blast rang out and the fourteen watched in shock as a burst of blood spurted into the air. Aria fell to the ground lifelessly, her hat dropping some distance away. There was a sniper. Imperial troops were coming in to kill them.

    “Run for it!” said Eight, gritting his teeth.

    Rem and Deuce approached the blood-splattered Aria, sorrow and disbelief on their faces as the two moved to attempt to cure her. A pool of the young orderly’s blood was quickly collecting on the stony tiles. Machina grasped Rem’s shoulder, while Ace pulled Deuce back by the arm.

    “If we stay here, we’ll suffer the same fate,” Machina uttered in a quiet and steady voice, despite the fact that he and Rem were without magic at the moment. “Let’s move on!”

    “Go!” instructed Ace, looking around at the others. He ran to the door and pushed it open, dragging Deuce behind him as he led the team through the hallway.

    Two soldiers moved into his line of sight at the end of the corridor and he scowled. Part of him had hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was, but the timing of the soldiers’ appearance coinciding with the orders was a little too suspicious. He released Deuce’s arm, muttering for her to stay close behind him and to quickly contact the dominion via the COMM.

    “You are authorized to use firearms. Exterminate the targets!” yelled one of the troopers, firing at the teenagers.

    “Now what?!” Ace growled, bringing up a wall of magic and throwing two of his cards. Behind him, King and Trey both fired twice. The troopers’ bullets ricocheted off the transparent wall and the troopers fell dead on the ground, a bullet and arrow pierced through each of their chests. With a flit, the cards sliced past the trooper that had issued the order to kill them. His body fell heavily, neck split clean open and blood still pumping out even as the corpse thumped against the ground.

    King frowned, reloading one of his revolvers. “So, we make our getaway?”

    “We played right into the empire’s hands,” commented Seven, glancing quickly around the hallway to ensure there weren’t any more coming from behind them.

    Jogging into the hotel lobby, they stopped as another squad of soldiers shot at them. Wordlessly, Trey created another magic wall and shot at the RPG-wielding soldier near the front desk. King and Cater fired at the approaching soldiers, while Ace struck the soldiers coming in from the front doors.

    “We need to get out of the hotel,” said Queen to Ace when the soldiers fell. “With the chancellor and CO gone, we have no choice. We have to get out of Ingram as soon as possible.”

    “Trey, Cater, front with me,” Ace commanded, his stern eyes watching the entrance of the hotel carefully. “The rest of you follow and provide magic support. King, eyes to the back.”

    The team nodded in understanding and followed Ace out into the streets.

 

* * *

 

    By now, they must have accrued a mountain of corpses in their trail of destruction. With the exception of that one giant of a Super-soldier earlier in the underground, they had struck down every Imperial soldier in their path—troopers, gunners, Colossi, and officers alike. Red demons, the enemy had once called them. They were certainly living up to that moniker.

    It was a foreign feeling to the teenagers—hunted, wanted for the assassination of the Queen of Concordia, seemingly abandoned by the dominion. Ace discreetly placed a hand on Deuce’s back when the group stopped to take a breath, steely blue eyes steadying her trembling body. Queen had thought the same as he had, contemplating the thought of a plot for the dominion to sacrifice them for peace or perhaps the empire to turn Concordia against them. But they couldn’t worry about that right now.

    Machina turned his attention to Rem, worry in his eyes. “Rem, are you feeling okay?”

    “I’m just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine,” said Rem between somewhat deep gasps for breath.

    Deuce reached out, thinking back to Rem telling her about the asthma. “Would you like to rest a little while?” suggested Deuce.

    Queen shook her head in disagreement, ever the pragmatist. “We can’t. The enemy would spot us here. We can’t sacrifice the whole team for one member.”

    With a low grunt, Machina glowered at Queen and took a step forward. What the Commandant had told him earlier shook him to the core and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing now.

    Seeing Machina’s irritation, Trey gave him a cool look, speaking calmly. “She’s only saying we need to find a safer place.”

    Rem gave them all a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, really! Sorry to worry you all,” she said, turning to Machina. “Let’s go, Machina!”

    That fake smile, Machina hated it so much. It was the smile she gave when she didn’t want to worry others even as she suffered on the inside. He’d been seeing it more and more these past few months and the fear of losing her was becoming all too real to him. “…Dammit!”

    As the others moved forward, Ace tugged on the edge of Machina’s sleeve, causing the taller boy to snarl an angry “what?” at the team’s leader. Part of him regretted it as soon as he caught sight of Deuce’s concerned face and Ace’s unyielding eyes.

    “If she can’t run, you carry her,” Ace ordered in a low voice. “We can’t stop.”

 

* * *

 

    After being chased onto a train, through the streets, through a multi-story warehouse, and clear across the city, they were starting to get a bit tired. The fourteen teenagers stood in the middle of a wide city square, a giant MA reminiscent of a crab with a hammer-like tail peering down on them from its perch on the side of the nearby building. It had attacked them multiple times in the streets after they got off the train and into the warehouse, shouting something about getting revenge for the l’Cie Qun’mi.

    They jumped apart as the MA launched itself at them, surrounding the machine and attacking it as a well-practiced group. Ducking in between the legs and avoiding swipes as needed, they sent it retreating back up the building. Unrelentingly, they continued their assault, and eventually the MA dropped back down again, slamming its arms at them.

    “You’re kidding me!” screeched the operator as the legs of the MA gave out. “This sucks…”

    An explosion went off in the MA and the machine crumpled completely, smoke and fire erupting from the joints. The group fell to their knees, exhausted.

    “I guess that means we won,” remarked Cinque, breathing heavily. “Cinquey’s tired…”

    “That was…overwhelming,” Deuce breathed out faintly.

    Slowly pushing himself up onto his feet, Ace nodded. Staggering on his feet slightly, he stepped over to Deuce and reached out for her hand. “But I’ve grown stronger—I can feel it. I’ve changed.”

    Just then, he stopped, sensing another presence. He turned while pulling Deuce up carefully.

    “What the—!?” Machina hollered as he stood and looked up at the white robed figure and hooved black and purple dragon speeding toward them.

    “This is for the queen!” proclaimed a woman’s voice, one they had heard not so long ago. It was Lady Celestia, attendant to Queen Andoria of Concordia, and her dragon, undoubtedly seeking retribution.

    The clatter of metal falling to the stony ground rang out through the square and Rem fell unconscious alongside her daggers. Light green eyes wide with alarm, Machina’s voice stopped in his throat as lightning flashed behind the Concordian pair.

    Thunder crashed and Machina snapped, charging forward without a second thought. “REM!”

    “Haltz!” shouted Celestia, her dragon bringing down several bolts of lightning at Machina.

    His screams filled the square briefly before Machina was thrown back, his drill rapiers rattling as they too met the ground. Smoke and soot covered him, patches of skin burnt and pink. “Damn it all…” he bemoaned, reddened fingers reaching out for Rem. He then fell back, unconscious.

    “Wait! Please listen—it wasn’t us!” Ace exclaimed, moving forward closer to Machina.

    “It’s true! Please, listen to us!” Deuce cried from beside him.

    Celestia raised her hand, pointing it forward. “Ratelo!”

    Hooves pounding against the ground, the dragon charged at the couple. The need to protect surged into Ace’s mind. With a snarl, he brought up a card, prepared to strike down the creature.

    “You mustn’t!” cried out Deuce, putting an arm out and stepping in front of him.

    The dragon bore down on them and time seemed to slow for both Ace and Deuce. Determination and desperation in her eyes, Deuce brought her arm down and stood down the stampeding dragon. Sheer terror filled Ace, his blue eyes widened with panic.

    “Rhit!”

    With that command, the dragon slapped its front legs down and launched into the air, leaving the two cadets unscathed. Both Deuce and Ace stood trembling as the dragon flew back and landed a little way behind Celestia.

    “Quite bold, you are…Now, unto me, your innocence you must prove,” said Celestia, a hint of impressed approval in her voice. Slowly, both Celestia and her dragon approached Deuce and assessed her. At length, the dragon snorted and Celestia nodded. “The dragons say they believe you.”

    Deuce let out a breath she didn’t even know she had been holding. Her knees buckled beneath her and Ace stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist to catch her. He embraced her so strongly, she was afraid he might break her. A small gasp escaped her as she felt his chest meld against her back and his ragged breath in her left ear.

    “Don’t do that ever again,” he whispered, his voice dangerously close to cracking. “Don’t…”

    “Ace…”

    “Please, Deuce…”

    His sudden uncharacteristic display of affection surprised the others and they stood staring wide-eyed as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, his body shaking with emotion. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she couldn’t bear to see him like this. Covering his hands on her waist, she curled into him, murmuring words of assurance.

    Regaining her senses, Queen cleared her throat and turned her attention to the two unconscious members of the class. “Nine, Jack, go grab Machina. Cinque and Sice, get Rem. We can’t stay here.”

    “You must quit this city,” Celestia spoke calmly. “I will help you.”

    “Thank you,” said Queen courteously.

    Quickly, Seven walked over to Ace and Deuce as the others retrieved Machina and Rem. “Ace.”

    The sound of Seven’s calm voice seemed to snap Ace out of his fear-induced state and he looked up, slowly removing himself from his hold on Deuce. When Deuce turned to him, he was already walking away, eyes steeled but face still pale. He went over to Queen, who nodded, prompting him to issue orders.

    “We move out.”

 

* * *

 

    Machina woke with a start, jerking up and looking around wildly. He was in an old rickety-looking cabin of sorts, moonlight streaming through the open slots in the roof. His injuries were gone and he felt rested, but his head was spinning slightly from the shock. Soft footsteps alerted him and he turned to see Rem walking over slowly.

    “Machina?”

    Scrambling to his feet, Machina went over to her, eyes swiftly appraising her all over. “Rem! Are you okay?”

    “Y-Yeah…Just a little shaken up, that’s all,” replied Rem, putting her hands together in front of her chest as she was wont to do.

    “I see…Glad to hear that,” he said with relief. “So where are we, then?”

    The two stepped outside. Deuce sat on a stump close to the fire they had started in the large fire pit, circled by a short wall of stone blocks, Jack on another stump on the other side not too far away. The others stood around the small area, which Machina could now see was surrounded by a thick forest. Jack was in the middle of telling a story, it seemed, his arms gesturing wildly to emphasize the moment.

    An unnerving feeling came over Machina, causing him to turn and look around. Rem looked at him worriedly as he frowned to himself and then turned to walk down the porch steps with Rem to join the others.

    “Oh, you’re awake!” Deuce greeted him, causing Jack to stop and the others to turn to look.

    “What happened?” asked Machina, his mind still fuzzy.

    Quickly, Deuce and the others explained what had happened after he had passed out. “Deuce was pretty amazing back there!” added Jack admiringly.

    “Yeah, no kidding!” Sice said approvingly. “She’s the type you really don’t wanna get mad.”

    “Oh, um, no, I was just desperate, that’s all,” stammered Deuce, hands coming up to clench in front of her chest. Her eyes lowered, wandering over to where Ace stood. He had still been shaken up by Celestia’s dragon almost killing the both of them, but had refused to say anything more about it even when they reached this abandoned cabin and Celestia left. The others didn’t dare to ask. She needed to talk to him once Machina and Rem were settled in.

    Looking down to the side, Machina was quiet as the others chimed in to continue.

    “At any rate, she believed what Deuce said.” Trey placed his hand on his hip.

    Cater gave a brief nod and placed her hands on her hips proudly with a small smile. “Yeah, she was like, ‘The dragons say they believe you.’”

    “That’s right. I recall that she seemed most intrigued by the encounter we had with one of the Concordian King’s men during our escape,” said Trey, resting his chin against his hand and supporting that elbow with his other hand. “Essentially, unlike the divine queens, the kings of Concordia are—”

    “All right, save it for another time,” Cater interrupted, crossing her arms.

    Ace breathed in deeply, moving his hands to his hips. “And so, she helped us with our escape.”

    “Though we’re still in Militesi territory…” noted Queen beside him.

    The group grew concerned as Machina continued to stare off to the side wordlessly.

    “Hey, what’s wrong? You injured or something, huh?” questioned Nine, gruffly. “Get it together, will ya?”

    “Stop that! Don’t talk down to me like that!” barked Machina.

    “You wanna say that again?” Nine retorted, stepping and leaning forward threateningly.

    Swinging her hands down with irritation, Cater frowned at Machina. “Hey, you! What’s with your attitude? Who do you think carried you all this way, huh?”

    “Hah! So you’ll save me for some reason, but you kill my brother!?”

    Startled, the team, except for Ace, gave Machina confused looks. Machina had a brother? When did they have contact with his brother?

    “Your brother?” inquired Deuce, noting how a hint of guilt entered Ace’s expression.

    Rem approached Machina, her eyes knit with unease. “Machina, what are you saying?”

    “My older brother was killed by Class Zero! If it weren’t for you people, he wouldn’t have had to run all over the battlefield! There was no reason for him to die!”

    Cinque tilted her head as she vaguely recalled a legionary running toward her and Trey. “You mean, during the liberation campaign?”

    “Maybe he was just a nameless soldier to you, but to me…to me, he was—!”

    Eight turned slightly, leaning closer from his spot behind Ace. “You’re wrong. We were just following orders.”

    “No.”

    Class Zero fell silent as Ace fixed a piercing stare at Machina. The card-wielder drew up, hands on his hips, voice heavy with emotion.

    “If you want to think that, then go ahead,” announced Ace austerely. “But, no matter how much you blame us, it won’t bring your brother Izana back!”

    “What?” Machina rumbled in disbelief, bringing an open hand forward as if uncertain as to whether he wanted to point accusingly at or punch Ace. “How do YOU know my brother’s name?”

    Bowing his head slightly, Ace gave a pained face. It was his fault. Izana was the one he had asked to help them deliver the COMM systems during the liberation campaign. Only he, Dr. Arecia, and the Commandant knew about this arrangement, even though the others knew that a legionary was to be helping them. He himself hadn’t remembered after Izana’s death, but overhearing Dr. Arecia and the Commandant just after the liberation had told him what he needed to know. But no matter how much he wanted to tell Machina, the words wouldn’t come.

    “That’s quite enough!” said Trey, giving Machina a strict look. “Machina, I know you are distressed, but we have larger issues at stake right now.”

    “Larger issues?” Rem asked hesitantly.

    King furrowed his brow. “We can’t contact the dominion.”

    “They won’t answer no matter how many times we try,” Deuce clarified before turning back to look worriedly at Ace.

    “What? But if the chancellor and the commander are okay, they should have reached Rubrum long ago, right?” Rem looked around at the others.

    Queen held her hands together in front of her abdomen in a disciplined pose. “Now do you understand? Not one of us has time to agonize over the past at this moment.”

    “Memories of the dead are the shackles of the past.” Ace spoke the same words that they had all been told many times over, of the Crystal’s gift to them warriors. “We must forget in order to break free—to move forward.”

    “Shut up!” snapped Machina, anger burning in his eyes. “That’s the excuse you used to sacrifice my brother!”

    “You’ve gotta calm down, Machina,” warned Seven.

    “You’re like a spoiled child,” Queen admonished exasperatedly, her arms crossed. “If you want to play the tragic hero, then stay here and put on a one-man show!”

    Stepping forward aggressively, Machina gritted his teeth as he matched Queen’s glare. “What the hell do YOU know?” He brought up an accusing finger to her face, fury in his voice.

    “M-Machina, please stop it!” said Rem, grabbing his other hand. “Let’s get some rest and—”

    His hand covered his face briefly before he threw it down angrily. “Dammit!”

    Coldly, he wrenched his hand from Rem and turned, walking away from the group. Ace watched without a sound at the debacle he had wrought upon them.

    “Machina! Where are you going?” Rem cried as he began to walk down the only path leading away from the cabin.

    “I’m just gonna go take a look around for a bit.”

    Rem brought her hands up to her chest and shook, a combination of physical strain and emotional worry. “They can’t save everybody, you know—no matter how strong they are.”

    “I’ll save YOU, though, Rem,” he hissed. “I won’t sacrifice you for any reason.”

    “Machina…” She had no doubt that he would. Machina was just that kind of guy and that’s part of why she loved him so much. But the tone of his voice scared her. It was as if he was teetering ever closer to the cliff of obsession, or perhaps insanity.

    “I’ll be back soon,” said Machina with a tone of finality.

    That was almost as bad as the tension they felt back in Ingram. The group watched as Machina walked away and Rem felt her heart clench harshly. Cinque moved to sit down on a stump near the stump Deuce had been sitting on, while the others spread out in silence. Jack and Deuce had gotten out of their seats in the drama with Machina, while Sice and King stood on watch on either side of the path leading out with Moglin nearby.

    “I understand that Machina’s hurting, but…is it really my fault?” Ace thought, his mind heavy with the events of the day. He needed to walk, to distract himself.

    Jack shook his head slightly as he stared at the fire, as if trying to shake off the tension lingering from Machina’s outburst. “What’s the deal with Machina? You don’t think he’s still mad about the whole ‘dead brother’ thing, do you? Nahhh.”

    “I knew Machina had himself a brother, but even I wasn’t able to remember his name,” mumbled Rem in a preoccupied voice. “Did you know him, Ace?”

    Ace sighed. “I can’t…remember, but I must have.”

    Those huddled around the fire gave assenting nods and mutters. If Machina’s brother was dead, the Crystal would have taken their memories of him. It didn’t matter now if they had known him or not, the fact of the matter was that they couldn’t remember him for anyone other than a dominion legionary that assisted them during the liberation campaign.

    Biting her lower lip in concern, Deuce looked down at her hands wrapped together in her lap. “Oh, I do hope that Machina is all right. He seemed so upset…”

    “I’m sorry Machina gave out to you all like that. It’s rather unlike him to yell at his friends,” said Rem apologetically. “He must be quite upset now…”

    “He just needs some time alone,” answered Ace, walking away to the side of the area.

    Queen pushed up her glasses, a displeased look on her face. “I acknowledge that brothers probably share some sort of special bond, but I find it most unusual that he would obsess over the dead to that extent. It’s…quite odd.”

    “Sice and I will keep watch,” said King to Queen. “You can rest now.”

    “Yeah, I know,” answered Queen tensely.

    “Worried about Machina?” King questioned, putting a hand on his hip and leaning with the tilt of his head.

    Incredulously, Queen rejected the insinuation with a firm point of her finger. “Wha—!? That’s ridiculous!” She then shrunk, one arm across her stomach and the other at the side of her head. “Anyway, he didn’t have to get so angry.”

    “What was that?” Sice asked as Queen shuffled away into the cabin.

    “She probably feels that her words are what set him off,” explained King.

    Sice made a humming sound with understanding. “Oh, is that what that’s about? Hah! No need for her to feel guilty. If she hadn’t said it, I would have.”

    King chuckled in agreement. “Indeed. But when did he learn about his brother? It didn’t seem as if he had known from the beginning.”

    “It must have been in Milites,” concluded Seven. Machina hadn’t acted strangely before that. “I saw him. He was talking to the commandant.”

    “What—that baldy?” scoffed Nine. “What’d he want?”

    “Hah! Machina got suckered just like that,” sneered Sice.

    Seven shook her head. “It’s more than that. He feels stuck—nothing’s working out for him.”

    Scratching his head, Nine grumbled. “Damn, that idiot sure thinks way too much.”

    “You don’t think enough, Nine,” countered Seven, almost out of reflex.

    Nine brought up a hand to shake dismissively at her words. “You kidding me!? I’m a think TANK, yo!”

    “What does that even mean?” Seven shook her head at Nine’s response. “Never mind. King, Sice—it’s our shift. You two get some rest.”

    “Roger that,” Sice said, turning toward the cabin. “Don’t mind if I do.”

    “Thank you,” responded King before following Sice.

    Shortly afterward, Trey, Cater, and Eight followed King and Sice’s example and retreated into the cabin to rest. Jack, Cinque, Deuce, and Rem sat wordlessly around the fire, while Ace stood staring off into the forest under a dark tree some ways away. A chill wind swept through the area, as was common in the desert-like Lorican region at night. It must have been only a few hours until midnight.

    “Man, Ace sure surprised us today,” remarked Jack to Deuce, grinning as he watched Deuce’s eyes keep trailing over to where their leader stood.

    Giggling, Cinque beamed with a sway of her head. “Acey hugged Deucey! It was cute!”

    “Hmm? When did this happen?” asked Rem, a small smile pulling at her lips.

    A light blush covering her cheeks, Deuce stood and turned to walk toward Ace. “I-It was after Lady Celestia spared us. I don’t know why, but…excuse me, I need to talk to him.”

    The trio gave quiet laughs as Deuce strode off. They were far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation between the two, but it wouldn’t stop them from watching. After all, Ace wasn’t one to express his feelings terribly often. It was bound to be a good show regardless of what he had to say.

    Deuce approached Ace as quietly as she could, mulling over what to say in her mind. Was he worried about Machina or something else? At times like this, it was so hard for even her to read him. She knew that he would simmer in whatever he was thinking until he couldn’t stand it any longer, but didn’t want to push him all the same.

    “Ace…?”

    Upon hearing her voice, he relaxed mildly. He hadn’t quite gotten over the fear of almost losing her today, but he couldn’t fully express his feelings—not in front of everyone else. The two of them had already given the others a shock with his uncharacteristic display in Ingram. Machina’s outburst earlier had just made the fear and guilt worse. And yet he wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to reassure himself that she was still there with him. Maybe they were far away enough from the others now.

    She walked into his vision, turquoise eyes filled with worry. His eyes softened as she gradually drew closer to him, reaching down to touch his hand. “Are you okay?” she asked gently.

    “It’s…been a long day,” he responded simply, allowing her to entwine their fingers.

    “You should rest then. Are you worried about Machina?”

    He paused and then shook his head. “Only a little. He just needs to calm down.”

    “Then what is it?”

    In response, his other hand came up to her face. Slowly, he stroked down her cheek and then her side, his hand coming to rest on her waist. The hand he held hers with squeezed her fingers. She looked up at him with questioning eyes. He had never been comfortable touching her so intimately in front of the others. To her surprise, his blue eyes held a small sheen to them, as if he were holding back tears.

    “You…” Ace croaked softly. “You almost died today.”

    “I was desperate,” she mumbled, placing her other hand on his chest. “We were in danger.”

    His hand moved then, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her in against him. He held her, almost as tightly as he had after Celestia spared them, and lowered his head to hers. “Never do that again,” he whispered, low and pleading. “I can’t lose you. I can’t.”

    At that, Deuce’s eyes widened with realization. His words earlier made sense now. He was scared of losing her. She hugged him back, tears welling in her eyes as she laid her head against his collarbone. It was easy to understand what was in his heart now, because it was the same emotions that flooded through her when she decided to jump in front of him—love, fear, desperation.

    “I couldn’t let you get hurt either. If you attacked, we would have had to fight more,” she replied, a tear soaking into his tunic. “My body just moved before I could even think…”

    For several moments, the two stood there in each other’s embrace, enveloped in their emotions and warmth. With a deep and quiet sigh, Ace leaned down to bury his nose in her hair, breathing her in.

    “I should have protected everyone better,” he muttered, voice heavy with remorse. “Rem and Machina…and especially you.”

    “It wasn’t your fault. It all happened so fast. None of us knew what was going on,” whimpered Deuce, gripping the fabric of his tunic. “Please don’t blame yourself, Ace…”

    With a shudder, he squeezed her tighter, as if trying to be as close to her as possible. “But I should’ve…people still got hurt and…what if she didn’t call it off?”

    “I couldn’t let you get hurt,” she said. “I understand how you feel, but we can’t think like that…”

    “I’m not strong enough…”

    “Please don’t…Ace, you always take care of us,” she continued, determined to reassure him. “We wouldn’t have gotten out of there without you, so please don’t say that.”

    Holding her firmly, he closed his eyes and sighed again.  “…I’m sorry.”

    “Oh, Ace…” She nestled against his neck. “These battles, this war, it’s all quite frightening…but as long as we’re here together, we can make it through anything. I’m sure of it.”

    “Deuce…thank you,” he said, drawing back to look her in the eyes.

    Tears still dripping from the corner of her eye, Deuce brought a hand up to touch his face gently. Dutifully, he raised a hand to wipe away her tears and she gave him a tender smile. A mutual and unspoken understanding settled between them. They were both still here, still alive. And so were the others. They were okay.

    Slowly and wordlessly, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Surprise briefly colored her eyes before she eagerly responded to him, eyelids sliding closed at the sensation. The heavy emotions today must have made him bolder, less preoccupied with the others’ scrutiny. They moved against each other, mouths molded together delicately. When they parted, he touched their foreheads affectionately and placed a light kiss on her nose. She giggled, causing his eyes to soften with fondness.

    “I guess you’re okay now?” she murmured as he nuzzled her cheek lovingly. Smiling, she slid her hand to the back of his head, fingers weaving into the golden hairs.

    A low grunt of agreement sounded from his throat in response. He rubbed his thumb over hers in their entwined hands and their lips met again. “I love you so much, Deuce,” he uttered against her lips.

    “Oh, I love you so very much, Ace,” she answered, clasping him by the neck and kissing him again. “So very, very much.”

    “Stay with me for a while?” he invited, earning a nod from her.

    They stood silently held together for some time more, basking in each other’s presence and light touches. Suddenly, a chill wind swept through the area and Deuce shivered from the cold air on her legs. Ever attentive, Ace gave her a concerned look. “Maybe you should go inside and get some rest?” he suggested, releasing her.

    “Umm…could we…umm…” Deuce began bashfully, a light blush gracing her cheeks as she rubbed her hands together for both warmth and strength.

    “What is it?” Ace covered her hands with his to warm them and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

    She stared at their hands and gathered her words. “Could we perhaps…rest together?”

    His eyebrows knit together as he comprehended and considered her request. Then a chuckle rose in his throat, much to her confusion. She looked up at him and he gave her a wry smirk. “You don’t think we’ve attracted enough attention from the others today?”

    “O-Oh!” To be honest, she hadn’t even thought about that. Discreetly, she glanced past Ace’s shoulder to see Jack, Cinque, and Rem blatantly watching them from around the fire along with Seven and Nine further away. Ace must have been so uncomfortable being the center of so much attention. Mortified at her negligence, she blushed harder. “I-I’m so sorry!”

    Chuckling softly, he pressed his lips against her forehead and gave her a roguish smirk. “I’m just teasing, Deuce. I enjoy every moment we spend together. After today’s display, they will tease even more, regardless of how secretive we try to be. Don’t be sorry.”

    “Ace…”

    “It’s late. You should rest. Come on,” insisted Ace, grasping her hand and pulling her along as he walked back to the group around the fire. He sat down on the stump she had been sitting on, his free hand coming up to grasp her waist. Her cheeks rosy and heated, Deuce followed his lead, lowering herself to sit across his lap with her arms wrapped around his chest for support.

    The others smirked and giggled at the sight. Their hushed laughs dissolved to “aww” sounds when Deuce curled against Ace’s shoulder and closed her eyes sleepily, drawing a soft and adoring look from the normally steely-eyed leader. The couple was being awfully bold today, after so many months of meagre touches and furtive smiles in public.

    “I’m glad to see you’re both feeling better,” remarked Seven with a small smile. “We were worried after all that happened today.”

    Ace turned his head slightly to give Seven a grateful look. “Thank you. It’s…well, we’re all still here. We’ll get through this.”

    “Heh, ‘course we will,” Nine said confidently. “Just gotta get back and get some answers!”

    “Yeah, some answers would be nice,” Jack commented, leaning forward to warm his hands around the fire. “But we gotta contact the dominion first.”

    “If they don’t respond by daybreak, we may have to make it back to Akademeia ourselves,” grumbled Ace. “I doubt there as many Militesi patrols out here in Jublana, but it’s still a long trip back.”

    Jack’s face scrunched in displeasure and he groaned. “No airships, no chocobos…”

    “You should all get some rest,” said Ace calmly, looking at Jack, Cinque, and Rem before turning to Seven and Nine. “We stay for another day at most. Who has watch next?”

    “Jack-Jack and Cinque-y do!” chirped Cinque in response. “No one gets past us!”

    “I would like to wait for Machina to come back…” murmured Rem, lowering her eyes. “I am quite worried about him…”

    With a low grunt of understanding, Ace turned back to Rem and cleared his throat as another chill wind swept through the trees. The dozing Deuce shivered slightly, causing Ace to pause and shift to pull her closer to him. He then reached for the gold clasp on his cape, carefully undoing it and pulling the crimson fabric off his shoulders to drape onto her legs. After tucking the edges around the curves of her legs, he gently moved her hands to her lap and covered them with his free hand to keep them warm.

    “So cute!” squealed Cinque quietly, so as not to disturb the slumbering flutist. “Acey, you’re all lovey-dovey! You really love her!”

    A mild blush gracing his face at the comment, Ace gave another low hum, this one more self-conscious yet content. His gaze moved down once more to glance at Deuce before his blue eyes softened once more. “I suppose…I mean…y-yeah…I…I love her.”

    “You show it well,” said Seven, smiling genially and placing a hand on her hip. “I’m glad you two have found happiness together.”

    “Heh, hope you two have at least gotten past just little hugs and kisses,” Nine added with an amused yet suggestive smirk. “Been together long enough to get some action, yo.”

    “Nine!” Seven cautioned, a disapproving look on her face.

    Leaning his cheek against the crown of Deuce’s head, Ace furrowed his brow with the implication. He curled around her even more protectively, causing Jack and Cinque to snigger at his embarrassed state. “No comment,” muttered Ace, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

    “That’s not a denial!” Jack exclaimed excitedly.

    Both Ace and Seven groaned, while Jack and Nine snickered away and Rem and Cinque covered their mouths to stifle their giggles. “That’s enough…” Ace sighed, cheeks burning.

    Still snickering, Nine, Jack, and Cinque nodded their acknowledgement of his implicit command. Eventually, the laughter faded away and a comfortable silence fell over the group with Jack tending the fire and Cinque and Rem looking around occasionally. Wordlessly, Ace turned his gaze up toward the sky through the treetops. The moonlight was growing weaker, a sure sign of the approaching dawn.

    “It’s getting to be that time, Cinque,” announced Jack, slowly standing up from his seat. “Nine, Seven, our watch.”

    “Yep-yep, you can go get some rest now, Sevensy and Ninesy!” Cinque chirruped, hopping up and walking over to the entrance of the area. “Jack-Jack and Cinquey ready for duty!”

    Nine gave a grunt of acknowledgement and promptly went for the cabin, a need for sleep clear in his body’s sluggish movements. With a stretch of her arms, Seven turned to Jack and Cinque.

    “Thank you,” responded Seven kindly as she turned and walked over to the fire, stopping to speak to Ace and Rem. “A couple hours of sleep before we leave would be beneficial. You two should try to get some rest as well.”

    Rem smiled at Seven’s concern. “I’ve been napping a little,” said Rem. “Don’t worry about me.”

    “It’s been a long day,” Ace stated austerely.

    In her sleep, Deuce mumbled and nestled deeper into Ace’s embrace. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she settled closer against his neck, the corner of his lips curling into a half-grin. Rumbling a quiet word of comfort, he stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her temple.

    “I have to admit…I’m a bit jealous, Ace,” said Rem suddenly, drawing his attention. “It seems like the two of you understand each other so well, even without words.”

    The card wielder gave a low chuckle. “Does it? I sometimes…well, I try my best. But I still get the feeling that I don’t…understand her as well as I should.”

    “As long as you make an effort, I know she’ll appreciate it, Ace,” assured Seven as she retreated in the cabin after Nine. “Good night to both of you.”

    “Of course I would make the effort…I want to make her happy…”

    Hearing these words from Ace and seeing him fret over Deuce brought Rem back to her current situation with Machina. The two of them had been inseparable in childhood, but the seven years before they reunited had changed things for them. Unlike Ace and Deuce, who had been together since their childhood, Machina and Rem had been apart for the majority of their teenage years. And perhaps that had affected their relationship or whatever was between them now. She wasn’t even sure anymore.

    “Machina, he worries you too much…unnecessarily,” Ace grumbled in a low voice, pulling Rem out of her musing. “He does care for you greatly. I hope you know that.”

    “T-Thank you…” said Rem, a mildly sad look on her face. “But he’s been so distant lately. I…I don’t know what’s going on anymore…”

    “We might comprehend and express our feelings differently, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have them. From what I’ve seen, Machina has difficulty doing both.”

    Nibbling at her lower lip nervously, Rem shifted in her seat slightly. “He used to be so open. But now that we’re older, I…sometimes I don’t know what he’s thinking. He is so hard to read, he is.”

    “Yeah, he’s troublesome like that. But, trust me, he cares about you…more than he lets on.”

    “What…what do you mean?”

    With a long sigh, Ace turned to Rem, his sharp features weary with exhaustion. “We’ve talked before about you. And I know he’s not very good at expressing his emotions. But no matter what happens, he does care about you. Just remember that.”

    “Machina…”

    “Today…the fact that we could lose each other at any moment has hit me harder than it ever has. To lose and then not be able to remember…” admitted Ace somberly. “I was…afraid. Afraid of losing all of you, afraid of losing…” His eyes drifted to Deuce, peacefully asleep in his embrace. “That type of fear can drive you insane. Deuce talked me down from such thoughts, but I think the fear is still there for Machina. He needs someone to help him.”

    “I see…”

    “When we get back and everything settles down, talk to him—make him talk. You deserve to know and understand how he feels. And I think you’re the only one who he’ll listen to now.”

    Nodding slowly, Rem lowered her eyes to the fire. “I understand. Thank you, Ace.”

    His stern eyes set in concern, Ace turned to look up at the brightening sky. They were approaching a dangerous time, even more dangerous than before. He could feel it. In his mind, he could only hope that their friendships and devotion to each other would be able to weather the coming storms.

 

* * *

 

    “Machina, are you okay?” inquired Rem, stepping up next to the dark-haired young man at the back of the airship. “It’s not like you to be like this.”

    Machina had been brooding—for lack of a better word—by himself ever since he returned to the group and the other members of Class Zero had maintained a healthy distance from him, knowing to give him space and time. They were, after all, the ones he had chosen to resent for the death of his brother.

    The buzzing and clinking of the airship taking them back to Akademeia rang through the air as Machina tried to find the words he wanted to tell her. Did he even want to tell her about everything that had changed in the last day? How could he tell her? He shook his head in response to his own thoughts. There were burdens that he alone had to bear, for her sake. She couldn’t know.

    In a way, he was angry with himself, or as angry as his body could now allow him to be. Part of him even regretted not telling her how much she meant to him. There were so many times together, so many opportunities in the time they had since reuniting. With Izana gone, their shared past contained the only memories of the ones he was closest to. He had seen firsthand the atrocities committed by the Militesi in waging this war and had shuddered to think of such pain and death inflicted on his friends, his comrades, his countrymen. Now he couldn’t possibly tell her, not with the choice he had made. Fear overpowered reason and he had much to fear, especially regarding the sickly girl next to him.

    “I’ll…be okay, Rem,” Machina replied slowly, carefully choosing his words. “This mission was really rough. I have a lot to think about.”

    “Do you want to talk about it?” Rem offered, hesitantly reaching for his arm and then deciding against it. She wasn’t ready to cross that line if he wasn’t.

    As she had told Ace the previous night, Rem was a bit envious of Class Zero’s resident couple. From what Deuce had told her, the two pseudo-siblings turned lovers were quite comfortable with opening up with each other and any hesitation would vanish with soft touches and reassuring kisses. And based on what she had seen last night, she had no doubt that their trust and love for each other ran deep, whereas she couldn’t place where she stood with Machina.

    “No, I wouldn’t know what to say…” muttered Machina, his pale green eyes staring out into the distance at the horizon. “I feel so lost…”

    Unsure of what to say or do, Rem bit her lip and wondered what Deuce would react to Ace had they been in this situation. Surely the flutist would know just how to bring comfort to her Ace, perhaps even without words. But Rem was no Deuce and Machina was certainly no Ace, though part of Rem wished that they could be as close. She would have to simply stand by Machina as he fought through his own troubles and believe that he would reach out if he needed her help.

    “Hey, the wind is really strong out here,” Machina said suddenly, pulling her out of her train of thought. He looked at her, eyes soft with concern. “You’ll catch a cold if you stay outside, especially with that cough. You should get inside, Rem.”

    “…Will you come with me?” Rem found herself asking, her voice almost trembling. “I don’t want you catching a cold either.”

    He seemed to think it over for a moment, gaze caught between the horizon and her, and her heart thumped in her chest as she waited for his reply. A small, reassuring smile curled onto his lips—a painfully fake smile—and he sighed lightly. “Yeah, I guess so,” he answered. “We should get some rest.”

    Rem pursed her lips, wanting to confront him about everything, but lacking the courage to do so. Another day, perhaps, when they were both more prepared to be more open with each other, she would. If that day ever came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Machina and Rem finally get a little bit more of the spotlight, haha...even if it is terrible, angsty drama. XP
> 
> They won't stay in the focus too much though. I feel like their relationship was pretty elaborated on in the game, so I don't really have much to add to it...maybe if I get some ideas later, I'll write another thing for them...


	8. We of Class Zero

    The doors of Classroom Zero slammed open, a clearly irate Cater stomping through the entrance toward the group of Ace, Deuce, Queen, Trey, and Jack. Deuce shifted in her seat next to Ace, a worried look on her face as Cater plopped down on her other side.

    “Whatever could be the matter, Cater?” inquired Trey.

    “Ugh, I’m so sick and tired of hearing them call us murderers and traitors!” spat Cater, slumping down on her desk. “And the other half is even more annoying than before because they’re so interested!”

    A serious air of contention had surrounded the return of Class Zero back at Akademeia from Ingram and it had obviously split the cadets in terms of opinion. There were those who believed the crimson-caped cadets to be guilty of murdering the Queen of Concordia and breaking the treaty—the one chance they had at peace—and then there were those who believed that Class Zero had been made the scapegoat in a larger scheme by the higher-ups. The former group had no qualms expressing their opinions, even directly to Class Zero members, while the latter group could only offer quiet assurances and whispers and offers of understanding.

    “‘Interested?’ What do you mean, Cater?” Deuce asked, her hand delicately entwined with Ace’s as she turned to look at the irritated redhead.

    “It’s so weird. It’s like some new thing going through the classes or something. I’ve had like three guys come up and ask me if they could help or do anything for me. And Cinque had some guy from Class Twelfth ask her the same thing yesterday,” said Cater in almost a frenzied ramble. “I guess they were trying to make us feel better. But they were way too overly friendly and I didn’t know them at all, so of course I said no, but—”

    “Wait, wait, there’s something going on where people are trying to make us feel better?” questioned Jack incredulously, a hint of dismay in his voice. “Is that’s why that girl was flirting with me yesterday? And not because she was actually into me?”

    Queen adjusted her glasses with an exasperated sigh. “Does this really matter? We should be more concerned about the current state of the war and what that means for our next assignments…”

    “It is a bit strange considering the current majority opinion of us in Akademeia is currently…not so favorable,” Ace commented, sharp blue eyes watching their surroundings carefully. “We should be on guard for any suspicious behaviors. There are those who believe getting rid of us would serve not only themselves but the dominion as a whole…the Commandant, for example.”

    “That’s a little scary to think about,” murmured Deuce, her head hanging sadly. “The other cadets were so friendly when we came.”

    Hand coming up to his chin thoughtfully, Trey frowned slightly. “Yes, Ace is completely right. There are those who are convinced of our guilt. But I believe most of the cadets would not try anything for fear of being discovered by the authorities—Mother, in particular. Nevertheless, we should exercise caution toward all. After all, they have and still do see us as a privileged group. Even though they cannot deny our role in the liberation campaign, some do not agree with the special treatment we are given.”

    “Hmph. They’re always been jealous of us. We’re special,” grumbled Cater. “We’re Class Zero.”

    “Be that as it may, we should still be vigilant,” said Trey calmly. “In times like this, we must be stronger and more united than ever.”

 

* * *

 

    “Ace…?”

    “Hmm…?”

    Hesitantly, Deuce lifted her head from her spot next to him on the pillow to look at a half-asleep Ace. She shifted slightly, his left arm loosening its hold on her to allow her to move. Ever since they had returned from Ingram, the couple had taken to huddling together in the same bed to sleep, unwilling to be separated from each other for too long.

    “Do you really think that other cadets would try to…hurt us?”

    “…Well…some of the others seem to think that no one would be that stupid. They’re just scared about our situation now and want someone to blame. But I don’t think we can’t ignore the possibility,” mumbled Ace, his thumb stroking the hand she had entwined with his. “We have to be careful.”

    With a sigh, she laid her head on his chest and curled into his embrace. “I’m worried, Ace…I don’t want anyone to get hurt. We didn’t kill the Queen, but people think we did. It’s just a terrible misunderstanding and yet people might hurt us for it.”

    “I know…but it’s going to be okay,” Ace whispered reassuringly, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “We’ll make it through.”

    “Sorry for bothering you with this…” murmured Deuce, a sad and worried tone in her voice. “I just…I have a bad feeling about it, is all. I’m sorry…”

    To her surprise, Ace pulled her up to force her to meet his gaze, his sharp blue eyes shed of the sleepiness from earlier. “Don’t apologize, Deuce. I want to know how you feel. I’m here for you.”

    “Ace…” She said quietly, their gazes still locked together as if they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. “I’m here for you too, Ace. Always.”

    “It’s going to be okay,” he assured her before lightly touching their foreheads together.

    His arm tightened around her in a soothing hold as he continued to stroke her hand with his thumb. She closed her eyes, appreciating his comforting touch. For a moment, they laid there together silently, drinking in the sensation of solace and comfort that the other provided. Their noses brushed as they nuzzled each other affectionately.

    “Thank you…” Deuce sighed lightly, her heart feeling more at ease. Eyes beginning to droop from exhaustion, she shifted slightly to lay her head next to his on the pillow and cuddled closer to him.

    With a low rumble in his throat and a gentle grin, Ace pressed a brief yet tender kiss to her lips and closed his eyes, content that her worries had been assuaged. Deuce smiled and soon followed suit, the troubles of her mind staved off for the night.

 

* * *

 

    A quiet but authoritative knock on his bedroom door stirred Ace from his sleep. Light blue eyes opened lazily and Ace turned slightly to see Deuce snoozing peacefully next to him, his arm still hooked securely around her. Carefully, he unwound his arm and breathed out in relief when he succeeded in not rousing her.

    The rays of the morning sun were warm on his back as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Another knock came. Ace stood, quickly making his way over to the door and pulling it open to see Queen standing there with a folder and a notebook under her arm.

    “Good morning, Ace,” said Queen, adjusting her glasses with her free hand. “Mother wants to see you today when you’re free.”

    “Okay. Thanks.” He stretched, shaking the sleepiness from his head. “Anything new from Section 4 this morning?”

    “Not yet. They claim to still be investigating the assassination and refuse to tell me anything,” Queen answered with a frown.

    Ace nodded in understanding. “Yeah, of course they would say that…”

    “By the way, I hope the two of you have taken the necessary precautions.”

    Whatever Ace was expecting from Queen next, that wasn’t it. His eyes widened in surprise and he gave her a bewildered look. “…What?”

    “You and Deuce are sleeping together now, are you not? I trust that the two of you are responsible enough to take precautions before—”

    “I-It’s not like that!” exclaimed Ace in a low voice, a deep blush on his face. “We haven’t done… that, really.”

    Queen gave him a half-relieved, half-disbelieving look, her stance relaxing considerably as she cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses again—a clear sign of her trying to regain her composure. “Well then, that’s fine for now. But when you do, she should—”

    “I know, I know,” Ace responded, unwilling to continue this line of conversation. “Thank you, Queen. We’ll see you in the classroom.”

    With that, he shut the door softly and turned back to his still-sleeping girlfriend, face still flushed from Queen’s statements. Slowly, he climbed back into the bed, Deuce shifting slightly in response to his weight on the mattress. Turning onto his side, he propped his head up on his arm and curled the other around her, resting his hand against the small of her back.

    “Mmm…Ace…?” murmured Deuce, grasping the front of his nightshirt with a hand.

    “Good morning. Did I wake you?” inquired Ace quietly, his eyes softening with affection.

    Deuce shook her head gently, a small smile making its way onto her face as she huddled closer to Ace and wrapped her arm around the back of his neck. In response, he held her closer and nuzzled her head, utterly content in her love.

    “Happy birthday, Ace,” Deuce said softly, causing Ace to stop and look at her.

    It was his birthday today. With all the recent events with the war and classes and training, he had somehow managed to lose track of the date. Although he supposed even if he had known what date it was, he might have still failed to assign any significance to it with everything else he had been concerned with. If Deuce hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have realized it at all.

    “I completely forgot,” he admitted with a sheepish grin after his silence. “Thank you.”

    “You’re very welcome,” she answered, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. “Are you busy today? I was thinking we could go out to celebrate your birthday.”

    “Like a birthday date?” Ace asked teasingly, though his voice was laced with approval at the same time. He kissed her lightly and gave her an impish smirk. “But we didn’t go out for your last…”

    Giggling, Deuce leaned up to kiss him again. “We hadn’t started dating yet, Ace.”

    “Oh, that’s right. Guess I’m getting forgetful in my old age,” muttered Ace drolly. “How lucky I am to have such a young, loving girlfriend to remind me.”

    “You’re only seven months older, Ace,” she reminded him, nudging his nose playfully with hers.

    “Yeah, I know,” he said, thoroughly pleased with their amusing albeit silly exchange. “But to answer your question, I’ve got a few errands to run today. Mother wants to see me and I’m supposed to meet someone from Class Eleventh about capturing more Militesi weapons. I should be done before dinner though. Where did you want to go?”

    She paused, considering their options. Meanwhile, Ace waited patiently for her answer, his hand lazily stroking her back. After a moment, Deuce shifted slightly in his embrace and looked at him again. “We could go to Aqvi. Isn’t there a nice restaurant there?”

    “Yeah, I think so,” he responded with a smile. “It’s a date.”

    “It’s a date,” she repeated dreamily before leaning up to peck him on the lips.

    “…I guess that means we have to get up soon,” said Ace reluctantly, squeezing her lightly. “What are your plans for today, other than our date tonight?”

    “Mmmm, I thought I would work on that report we have on the Rubrumite-Militesi War,” she answered with a sigh. “I’m almost done.”

    A chuckle rose up in his throat as he glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Good plan. Are you going to be working with Cinque and Cater as usual?”

    “I think so.”

    “Good.” He stretched, a content yawn escaping his lips. “I’ll come find you after I’m done with those errands then.”

 

* * *

 

    “Eh? So you and Ace are going to Aqvi tonight to celebrate his birthday?” inquired Cater as she leaned against the bookcase that she, Deuce, and Cinque were huddled behind. A mischievous smirk curled onto her lips. “Are you two going to spend the night there?”

    “Mmm, I don’t think so,” Deuce responded, glancing through the open textbook in her hands for the information they needed. “Aqvi is nearby, so it won’t take us too long to get back.”

    Cater pouted, annoyed by how her implication was so casually and easily brushed off. “Hmph, guess it doesn’t really matter since you two are already sleeping together.”

    Her cheeks growing slightly pink, Deuce flipped the page and tried to concentrate on the textbook. Nothing ever really remained a secret amongst the twelve of them, seeing as how they grew up together and all had rooms adjacent to each other. She supposed that she should be thankful that the walls were thick enough that the others couldn’t hear what she and Ace did and talked about in bed together, though it seemed to garner more speculation from Cater and Cinque than she thought necessary.

    “Hmmm? Is it more comfy sleeping with Acey, Deucey?” Cinque asked curiously. “Is he warm and cuddly?”

    “I don’t think I would quite describe him like that,” said Deuce with a giggle. “But he is very warm and affectionate when we’re together. I always feel very safe and happy with him.”

    “You know, if we hadn’t seen it in Milites, I almost wouldn’t believe you,” Cater remarked, an amused smile on her face. “At least that’s one good thing that came out of this whole thing.”

    The smile on Cater’s face quickly contorted into a frown as a sneer from behind the group of three interrupted their conversation. Deuce, Cinque, and Cater turned to see two male cadets before them, both from Class First, judging from the bright blue of their capes.

    “How could any good have come out of you guys assassinating the queen?” hissed the taller of the two. “All you’ve done is cause trouble for the rest of us.”

    “Must be nice, getting away with anything you do because you can hide behind your ‘mommy’,” added the other snidely. “Only Class Zero could do such a thing.”

    Cinque frowned and Cater glowered at the two males as Deuce stared sadly. Confrontations like this had, unfortunately, been occurring more and more frequently as the looming danger of Militesi and Concordian attacks grew day-by-day. As several members of Class Zero had noted, people were afraid and needed someone to blame. It didn’t make these situations any easier though.

    “Hey, buzz off! You’re not part of this conversation!” spat Cater. “Learn to mind your own business!”

    “Bold words coming from some assassins!” the taller one retorted, another sneer on his lips.

    “Please…Please don’t say that,” Deuce requested in her ever polite tone and manner of speech. “We didn’t assassinate the queen, so please just go and leave us be.”

    The shorter male cadet scoffed. “Who else could have assassinated her? It had to be Class Zero!”

    “We didn’t kill her!” insisted Deuce, shaking her head. “We—”

    “Psssh, of course you would deny it,” the taller one shot back, stepping forward as if to intimidate the three girls. He towered over Deuce, giving her a defiant look. “Just go back to where Dr. Arecia got you from!”

    Just as Cater and Cinque were about respond, the male cadet was suddenly yanked backward and thrown up against the nearby bookshelf, a fuming Nine holding him up on the books with one arm. Behind Nine stood a frowning Queen and a very angry Ace, who was holding a card at the other male cadet’s throat threateningly. All of them were used to Nine being cross and prone to violence, but the fact that the normally calm and rational Ace was also in such a state was unusual.  

    Deuce took a step back, shrinking away from Ace slightly. She could see his glare from beside him and she trembled. Even though the anger in his sharp blue eyes wasn’t directed toward her, she could still feel it as if it were her own, perhaps a testament to how emotionally intimate they had become. The feeling burned in her chest and it frightened her how intense it was. It felt as if he could fly off into an uncontrollable rage, like a behemoth blinded with fury.

    “Leave. Now.” Ace snarled in a low, but dangerous tone. “Don’t ever bother us again.”

    Eyes wide and face pale, the shorter male cadet stepped back away from Ace and nodded slowly. Nine huffed and pushed the taller one toward his companion, practically baring his teeth at the two as they scrambled away. “I’ve about had it with these guys!” Nine barked.

    “Those meanie-faces…Cinquey feels all bluesy-woosy,” added Cinque, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floor. “We gotta stick together, huh?”

    “Yeah, seriously!” agreed Cater. “Thanks for the save, Ace, Queen, Nine.”

    “It is rather concerning how frequently occurrences such as these have been showing up,” said Queen, adjusting her glasses. “We just encountered a legionary outside that had the same sentiments as those two did.”

    Breathing in deeply, Ace turned to Deuce and his eyes softened. “Are you okay?”

    “Y-Yes…” Deuce replied apprehensively. “I’m fine…”

    Briefly, Deuce registered Ace raising an eyebrow at her before he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, it’s almost 1600 hours. If you want to make it to Aqvi in time for dinner, we should leave now,” he said quietly. “Unless you’re still working?”

    “O-Oh! It is that time, isn’t it?” Deuce closed the book in her hands delicately and set it back on the shelf. “I can…I can finish this later. We can go now.”

    “Have fun, you two!” Cater snickered as Ace smoothly took Deuce’s hand in his. “Don’t come home too late!”

    As Ace led Deuce out of the Crystarium, they could hear Nine asking where they were going and Queen sighing at Cinque and Cater’s enthusiastic response. Ace chuckled slightly, shaking his head at the antics of their pseudo-siblings, only to stop when he noticed the preoccupied look still on Deuce’s face. She was clearly thinking about something, lines of concern etched across her features much like when she was worrying about other people.

    “Deuce?”

    “Y-Yes?” Deuce looked up at him, startled from his voice breaking her out of her train of thought. “W-What is it, Ace?”

    “Something’s bothering you,” he stated, pulling her to the side as they reached the front gates of Akademeia. “If you’re not feeling up to it, we don’t have to go out…”  
  
    Tremulously, she looked up at him, deep turquoise eyes meeting calm blue for a moment. Her hand fell from his and he watched her worriedly as she struggled to find the words to convey her thoughts. It was hard to believe that he could ever be the snarling Ace she saw just minutes before, his eyes filled with wrath and a mere centimeter away from seriously hurting a fellow cadet. Certainly, she had seen him annoyed or frustrated before, but he never shown true anger before. That he was capable of such unpredictability and intense dark emotions scared her. She shuddered to think how she would ever bear it if he directed that anger toward her.

    All of the sudden, Deuce felt his finger just below her chin, gently tilting her head up and guiding her gaze back to meet his. He didn’t say anything, but the concern and uncertainty in his expression was apparent. That was her Ace—her wonderful, loving, sensitive Ace. And despite her fears, she loved him.

    “Ace…”

    “Deuce? What—”

    Before Ace could ask what was on her mind, Deuce had wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a soft kiss. His eyes widened with surprise, yet his body responded eagerly and automatically. He grasped her by the waist and drew her in closer, focused on reacting to her wants and tumultuous emotions. Deuce relaxed in his hold, his intimate and unerring tender motions reassuring her that he was indeed her Ace.

    When they finally parted, Ace blinked confusedly for a few seconds before a goofy grin curled onto his lips. “Well, that was…nice,” he commented, a slight blush on his face. “Unexpected, but really nice…umm…I guess that means you still want that date?”

    His awkwardness was so adorable; Deuce couldn’t help but giggle. She hugged him, stifling her giggles against his chest before speaking. “Oh, Ace…I’m sorry, this must have been so confusing for you. I’ll tell you about it later, I promise.”

    “Okay, you sure are acting strange today,” he replied, his fondness for her clear in his voice. “But we should probably get a move on first. People are starting to stare.”

    She reddened, turning her head to take a quick glance around. There were indeed several cadets, tribunes, and legionaries in the area, some of which were looking at the two of them curiously. Ace gave a small chortle as she jolted out of his arms. Shooting the staring offenders with a pointed look, he pushed open the main doors of Akademeia and ushered Deuce out.

    “Oh, I had completely forgotten we weren’t alone!” sighed Deuce, her face still a bright pink from the embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, Ace! I—”

    “It’s okay, I…I don’t mind,” Ace assured her, leaning over from behind her to kiss her cheek before summoning a chocobo onto the bridge in front of them. “You are my girlfriend, after all. There’s nothing wrong with showing affection.”

    The chocobo warbled happily as if to agree and walked over, allowing Ace to reach up and pet it. Silently, he offered his other hand to Deuce, who smiled and took it delicately. He had only summoned one chocobo, which implied that he meant for her to ride with him. If not for her face already being quite flushed from the incident inside, she would have blushed from the thought of clinging onto him on the back of a chocobo.

    “Do you want to ride in front or back?” inquired Ace, pushing down lightly on the chocobo’s neck to instruct it to bend down. “I figured we could save the issue of having two potential runaways and ride together since Aqvi isn’t far.”

    “Either is fine with me, Ace,” Deuce answered sweetly. “I don’t mind.”

    “Okay then,” he muttered, his hand guiding her toward the giant bird. “You first.”

    Gracefully, Deuce pulled her leg over the chocobo’s saddle, her hand in Ace’s for support and balance. They had ridden chocobos a fair number of times on missions already and out of habit, she automatically grabbed the reins when Ace released her hand to climb on behind her. She felt the warmth of his chest meet her back and his head settle on her right shoulder, effectively setting her snugly between his arms. His right hand took hold of the reins and he placed his left hand on her skirt-covered thigh, much to her surprise. The slight jolt from the chocobo standing up forced her further up against Ace, so much so that she could feel the hard press of his cape clasp against her back.

    “Are you comfortable?” His voice was low in her ear and it sent shivers down her spine.

    “Y-Yes,” she murmured back faintly, dropping the reins and placing her right hand on the saddle-horn. Shyly, she laid her left hand on his. “It feels just a bit strange, I suppose…but in a good way. I’ve never ridden with someone like this before.”

    “I hope not,” he rumbled, nuzzling the side of her head. “I don’t know how I would feel about someone else touching you like I do…”

    To emphasize his point, his hand squeezed her thigh lightly and teasingly and she squeaked in response. “A-Ace!”

    “We should get going,” Ace said with a snicker. “Hold on tight.”

  

* * *

 

    “I hope you enjoyed the dinner, Ace,” Deuce said softly to Ace after they dismounted the chocobo and walked through the gates of Akademeia. The two of them were almost hip-to-hip as they walked through the empty Fountain Courtyard, his left arm lovingly slung around her waist and her hands covering the hand he had on her hip. “It was so nice of the workers to give us a private table and free drinks. This was a nice, peaceful date.”

    A small grin tugged at Ace’s lips. “I always enjoy the time we spend together, Deuce,” he remarked, eyes shining with affection as they took the great portal to the Class Zero dormitories and entered his room. “But I’m glad the workers still believed in us and what good we’ve done for the dominion. I’d rather not be angry anymore today.”

    She had managed to forget about the incident during their lovely date, but the mere mention of his anger from earlier caused the heavy emotions to resurface in a flood, rearing its head like a waking Mushussu. A large shiver crawled up her spine and she involuntarily let out a whimper. Ace immediately turned to her worriedly, having both felt the tremor through her body and heard the tiny cry from her lips. His other arm came around to grab her hand and he turned to face her.

    “Deuce? Are you okay?”

    “I…” She pursed her lips, unsure of how to explain her feelings. “About earlier…”

    “What about it?” he inquired.

    Taking a deep breath, Deuce steeled her resolve to tell him about her fears. They had to communicate, she told herself. He loved her and she loved him. She couldn’t let such a silly fear mar their relationship like this.

    “I was…scared…”

    His eyebrows knitted together concernedly and he frowned. It didn’t seem like the Class First cadets had done anything but badmouth them from what he, Nine, and Queen had seen and how Cater and Cinque had reacted, but had they really scared Deuce? She had stood in defiance of screaming soldiers and charging dragons with unwavering strength and conviction before—far more frightening things than a couple of bold cadets with bad attitudes and big mouths, in his opinion.

    She lowered her head to avoid his gaze and let out a shuddering breath. “I was scared of you…”

    If there was anything he was expecting, it wasn’t that. His eyes widened in shock and he froze, her words sinking into his mind and his heart pounding painfully in his chest in response. “W-What…? You were scared of…me…? Why…?”

    “Y-You were…you were so angry,” she replied shakily, squeezing his hands slightly. “And I could feel your anger inside me…it was so scary…and it hurt too…”

    “I…I’m sorry…I didn’t…” Ace mumbled, his gaze lowering and his shoulders slumping in sadness. “I just saw them bothering you and I…it made me so mad. I didn’t mean to scare or hurt you.”

    Slowly, Deuce let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his waist, placing her cheek against his collarbone. “I-I know you didn’t,” she said in a soft, trembling voice as he nuzzled her apologetically. “Oh, Ace, you don’t need to be sorry. I was a bit shocked and…I couldn’t help feeling scared. But I trust you. I love you.”

    “I love you too,” he whispered, his hands holding her waist lightly as if he were afraid of hurting her. “You don’t need to be afraid of me…”

    “I’m sorry…this is all my fault…” She whimpered faintly, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes at how terrible she felt for making him so sad. “I shouldn’t be…”

    “No, no, it’s not…” Ace assured her before kissing her soothingly on top of her head. He slid his arms around her, pulling her closer gently. “Listen to me. It’s okay. It’s okay, really. I understand. I can’t promise that I’ll never get angry, but I’ll try not to be. I just want to protect you and keep you safe and happy. That’s why I got angry at those cadets today. I won’t tolerate anyone who wants to attack you.”

    “I understand…” Deuce sniffled, pulling back slightly to look up at him. “I feel the same way for you, Ace. You already make me happy, but I want to protect you too. And make you happy.”

    “You do make me happy, Deuce,” Ace commented warmly, embracing her fully. He leaned down, pressing their foreheads together lightly. “You do so much for me and I can never find the words to tell you how grateful I am.”

    Her lips curled into a small, shy smile, causing him to smile in turn. They shared the same sentiments for each other and that kind of emotional intimacy was empowering. “Maybe you don’t have to, Ace,” she said, the tip of her nose brushing against his. “But you can show me…”

    With that, his lips descended on hers and their eyes slid closed. His hands came up her back, their chests pressing together as he held her close. She responded just as ardently, grabbing fistfuls of the back of his shirt and tilting her head to deepen the kiss. They had become quite accustomed with each other in this way after almost half a year of being an official couple, the comfort of familiarity part of the fuel for their mutual love. Briefly, Ace registered a soft moan from Deuce and he pulled back slightly and opened his eyes lazily, just enough to admire her flushed face.

    “Have I ever told you how much I like making you blush?” He queried, a mischievous yet approving grin spread across his face at the sight of her. “Especially when we get intimate? I just think it’s really cute.”

    “N-No, I don’t think you’ve mentioned it…” Deuce answered, opening her eyes as he pressed a kiss behind her ear, a mix of surprise and embarrassment in her voice. A tiny squeal escaped her lips as he nipped lightly at her neck, causing him to chuckle in response. “Although I might have…guessed…”

    “We should…get ready for bed,” he rumbled, his voice low and husky in her ear. “Except I want more of this right now…”

    “For your birthday?” she asked coyly, her hands sliding to the part in his jacket.

    He pulled back to give her a quick inquisitive look, his eyebrow raised with interest. “Go on…I like where this is going.”

    “We could…ummm…help each other,” she said, the blush on her face deepening as he pressed a kiss to her neck and she fiddled with the hem of his tunic. “Undress and get ready for bed, I mean…”

    “We can make each other feel really good,” he concluded keenly. A sense of delight and a hint of smugness rose in his chest at the thought of Deuce being confident enough to suggest something so intimate. It wasn’t that they hadn’t done such intimate things before, but such acts were usually in the heat of the moment and less so suggested.

    A hand pressed against his chest and he took a sharp breath in. Taking that as her cue, she slowly unbuckled the belts on his jacket and slid her hands inside to push it off his shoulders. They pulled each other’s crimson capes off, trained fingers moving deftly in order to touch skin faster. His hands then traveled around to her front, undoing her uniform shirt and allowing it to fall open as he kissed her again. Pressing herself closer to him, she closed her eyes again and let herself be swept away in the feeling of being with him in his arms. He pushed her against and then onto the bed, hands and lips wandering and touching her methodically all over, sending bursts of pleasure through her body.

    “Ace…” she whined softly as he kissed down her neck and squeezed her hips.

    His distracted mind somehow picking up on the implicit request, Ace shifted back up to kiss her on the lips once more. Their tongues slid together, the haze of passion filling their senses. He gave a low groan against her lips when her fingers brushed his abdomen in their bid to undo his belt.

    The soft click of his belt buckle being unfastened drew his attention momentarily and he drew back slightly to look at her, their lips parting with a light smacking sound. They panted for air for a couple seconds, noses brushing and hot breaths mingling from still being so close.

    “…My nightshirt is under you,” he noted at length. “Slight miscalculation.”

    To his surprise, Deuce grasped the bottom of his black undershirt and looked up at him with a sweet, yet seductive smile. “You won’t need it for now,” she replied, pulling him back down lightly.

    “Mmm…happy birthday to me indeed,” he muttered before meeting her lips again.

 

* * *

 

    The day was calm, as were the members of Class Zero that had gathered in their classroom. Ace sat in his usual spot near the windows, absentmindedly reading a book on Concordian history while Deuce held his free hand and chatted with Cater, Cinque, and Rem near them. In her own seat, Queen too was embroiled in her own book, a large tome on magic most efficient against monsters. Seven sat at her own seat as well, writing down notes on a piece of paper. Eight stood at the front of the classroom, quietly wiping the blackboard of the marks and scrawls their CO had made during today’s lesson. King, Nine, and Jack dozed in their own seats, while Sice groaned in annoyance at Trey’s attempt to explain the Concordian monarchy to her.

    “It’s been weeks since we came back from Ingram,” Cater mentioned in a huff. “You’d think everyone would chill out about the Queen’s assassination by now.”

    “Yes, but I’m afraid the fear and anger about the assassination and what will happen to Rubrum is still very much there,” said Deuce sadly. “I don’t think it’s as bad as it was when we first came back, but it does worry me quite a bit…”

    “Hmph, they all just need to get over themselves and move on!” sneered Sice. “Blaming us won’t save them from Concordia or Milites.”

    Trey nodded in agreement. “Although, now, more than ever, there seems to be a divide amongst the cadets in Akademeia with regard to us. We have friends amongst the other cadets, ones who are certain of our innocence. I dare say that the number of people bold enough to accuse us of betrayal out loud has dropped significantly in the face of our strong supporters and convictions.”

    “Heeeeey, speaking of friends, I haven’t seen Machy around…” noted Cinque. “Why is that? Have you seen him, Remski?”

    “I…haven’t seen much of Machina lately either,” admitted Rem, her face dropping with the mention of her absentee childhood friend. “He seems to be very distracted whenever I do see him. Maybe his brother’s death is still weighing on his mind…”

    “It’s more than that,” said Seven, looking up from her notes. “I get the sense that he feels conflicted about something, from what little I’ve seen of him these few weeks.”

    “How can we help him then?” Deuce asked, a sad tone in her voice as she squeezed Ace’s hand slightly, discreetly drawing the young man’s attention from his book to the conversation. “Surely there’s something we can do.”

    A tense silence settled over the group. Every attempt that they had made to reach him had failed, Machina pushing them further away each time. In fact, they were fairly certain Machina had spoken more words to their commander since they came back from Milites than all of them combined—and Commander Kurasame was far from being the conversational type.

    All of the sudden, the doors to Classroom Zero opened and Machina stepped in, features set in that solemn expression that had become far too common on his face in recent weeks. He glanced around at the group, many of whom stared right back at him with unreadable looks on their faces. How were they to act when the distance between them had grown so far in such a short amount of time?

    “Heh, finally decided to show up, huh?” Nine spat, breaking the silence. “You gonna tell us what your problem is, yo?”

    “I’ve got nothing to say to you,” rumbled Machina stoically.

    “We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us, Machina,” Seven said, standing from her seat with a concerned look on her face. “What—?”

    “Just leave me alone. I don’t need your help.” Machina interrupted and placed a hand on his hip, turning his head away in disinterest. “I don’t need…”

    Nine stood from his seat with a growl, temper flaring at the blatant indifference Machina was showing. “Wanna say that again, yo?” hissed Nine, a hint of threatening in his voice.

    “I don’t need your help!” snapped Machina, walking down the stairs of the classroom away from Nine and Seven. “Just leave me alone!”

    Shaking her head in distress, Rem gave Machina a concerned look. She had tried to reach out to him many times since they came back from Ingram, but to no avail. “Machina…”

    “Hey, everyone is just worried about you!” Cater shouted, irritation in her entire body as Machina came near her, Rem, Cinque, Deuce, and Ace. “You don’t have to act like a jerk!”

    Machina glared at her, but offered no explanation. Quietly, Deuce stood and stepped over to just next to Machina, her hand leaving its spot on Ace’s and causing the card wielder to turn his head to the commotion, though he had been wordlessly listening to the entire exchange. As much as he wanted to help, it was becoming increasingly clear to him that Machina would not listen. They could certainly try, but he wasn’t hopeful for the results.

    “Please listen, Machina. I understand you don’t feel that we can help you, but at least try to let us understand what you’re going through,” Deuce pleaded, her voice ever kind and soothing. “We just worry about you. You’re our friend and our classmate.”

    For a moment, it seemed as if Machina was actually taking in her words as he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Then his pale green eyes reopened, once more guarded and hardened in their gaze. It was the type of gaze that Deuce had seen on Ace himself for many years. Machina turned to walk off, but Deuce was far too stubborn to let him do so. Her hand reached out, lightly touching his arm to make him face her again.

    Within seconds, everything fell apart.

    “Don’t touch me!” barked Machina, thrashing his arm out to shake off Deuce’s hand.

    Too engrossed in his own troubles, Machina didn’t understand his newly gained strength and was just as shocked as the others when he hit Deuce with his arm, throwing her back. Deuce fell back, the back of her head smacking against the edge of the desk with an unpleasant thump, and she slumped onto the floor. Instantly, Machina found himself slammed into the front of the CO’s stage desk with a pain of a hard fist across his jaw and livid, sharp blue eyes glaring at him. Ace had teleported through his desk, dispensing with his cards in his rage and whipping an unbridled punch at the taller boy.

    The others had acted almost just as quickly, everyone—save for Rem, who could only gasp in horror and Seven, who understood the most—out of their seats with weapons drawn. Queen and Cinque, who darted over to Deuce’s side, split between checking Deuce and glaring at Machina. King and Cater had their guns pointed at Machina, while Trey already had an arrow nocked into his bow. Sice and Nine were near the back of the classroom, her scythe and his spear prepared to charge in. Eight had dropped the eraser he was using to clean the chalkboard and jumped onto the stage desk, his red eyes watching Machina with caution and disappointment.

    “How dare you?!” Ace snarled, his voice like thunder in the storm of Machina’s mind. “You’ve gone too far, Machina!”

    “Ace, don’t—!” exclaimed Seven, rushing down to their rage-filled leader.

    Receiving no answer from the still shocked Machina, Ace only became angrier and more reckless. With an impatient growl, Ace brusquely seized Machina by the collar of his tunic and struck him with another brutal punch across the face, a sickening crack and a quick, sharp, splitting pain in the nose and cheek jerking the taller boy out of his stupor. Had he still been the old Machina, he would have been sure that the punch would have broken his nose. But he wasn’t that Machina anymore. Instinctively, Machina pushed his assailant away, falling backward onto the ground in disbelief as he realized just who had attacked him.

    In Machina’s time with Class Zero, he had known Ace to be a cool and calm character, if a bit stern and even dorky sometimes. The thought that this furious, viciously violent creature in front of him was the same guy was jarring. Mentally, he chided himself for forgetting, in all the time he had spent getting to know and being friends with them, how powerful they really were. After all, he had watched firsthand as three of them took down the l’Cie that the old Machina couldn’t even touch. Judging from the pain he felt, perhaps even only one of them would have been enough.

    “Everyone, please calm down, kupo!” Moglin cried out, waving hir arms frantically. “It was an accident, isn’t that right, Machina?”

    “She was just trying to help you!” Ace gave another snarl of pure fury, having easily bounced back from Machina’s counter, and advanced again. It was as if someone had cast a powerful Berserk spell on the normally calm and rational card wielder, putting him on the same murderous rampage as a disturbed Behemoth King. Perhaps that was the effect seeing Deuce hurt by someone he regarded as a friend had on him—his love, his fear, his pain all fueling his anger and irrationality.

    Seven faced Ace and stuck an arm out to block him, hoping that he could still hear her through the haze of wrath that surrounded him. She knew full well that if he had the intent, he could phase right through her to get to Machina, but she didn’t want to have to fight him to stop him. “Ace, that’s enough! You have to calm down!”

    “The hell, Seven?!” Nine huffed, his anger building along with Ace’s. “Let the punk get what’s coming to ‘em, yo!”

    “We can’t just let them tear each other apart, Nine,” responded Seven in refusal. “This isn’t what we need right now.”

    “You aren’t seriously saying that you’re okay with him hurting Deuce like that?” cried Cater indignantly. “This is all wrong, Seven!”

    Hopping down, Eight watched as Machina leaned back against the desk and breathed heavily. “I think Machina has learned his lesson now,” Eight stated, his tone even and steady. “There’s no need to go further with punishment.”

    Sice sneered, her dislike of Machina and his attitude clear in her eyes. “Seriously? I say we should just let Ace tear into him. Maybe he’ll finally learn to do things right.”

    King shook his head, lowering his pistols. “No, Seven and Moglin are right. We all need to calm down and resolve this issue. Fighting between ourselves gets us nowhere.”

    His irritation and impatience reaching a peak, Ace clenched his fist again and turned his attention back to Seven. “He attacked Deuce! Why are you defending him?” he demanded.

    “Because we can settle this without you hurting him more!”

    Meanwhile, on the stairs behind Ace, Queen and Cinque focused on casting a strong enough Cure spell to heal and rouse Deuce. They had all had a difficult time after they came back to Akademeia from Milites and Queen knew better than anyone else, save for Deuce, how much regret and other stresses Ace carried back with him. Still, it took an enormous amount of stress to make Ace lose his composure and Machina hitting Deuce was enough to send him over the edge.

    “Uhhh…Q-Queen…Cinque?” mumbled Deuce as her eyes fluttered open. “W-What…?”

    “Thank goodness,” said Queen, heaving a sigh. “Any longer…”

    “You’re okay, Deucey!” Cinque whispered in relief. “Machy sure hit you hard…what a meanie.”

    The sounds of anger and argument filled Deuce’s ears and she whimpered, recognizing the discord amongst her friends and pseudo-siblings without even fully knowing what they were saying. She grasped the edge of the desk she fell against, stumbling to her feet and taking in the situation. To her surprise, her body tensed as soon as she laid eyes on Ace, sensing the tension in his own body. “A-Ace…”

    “Move aside, Seven. I swear if Deuce is seriously hurt, I’ll break him!” Ace threatened, his blue eyes narrowed dangerously at both Seven and Machina. “I—!”

    All of the sudden, Ace felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso from behind and he stopped, turning his head to see Deuce moving under his arm to bury her face in his chest. Her arms tightened around him, trembling, and then nothing else mattered to him. Slowly and tenderly, she slid her hands up to hold his face, touching their foreheads together and whispering soothing words to calm him. His chest heaved as his body began to relax, his eyes softening and losing the threatening edge of anger.

    “It’s okay, Ace. I’m okay, see?” uttered Deuce softly, the fingers on her right hand stroking the hair on the back of his head. “Don’t be angry…we’re okay…”

    “Deuce…” Ace breathed out, pulling her into a rough embrace. “I’m sorry…”

    “Rem, you should take Machina into the back garden,” Seven advised the shocked girl quietly as the others dismissed their weapons. “I think it’s best if we keep him away from the others until everyone has cooled down.”

    Not knowing what to say, Rem nodded in agreement and stood from her seat. She made her way over to Machina, whose knitted eyebrows and gaping mouth spoke of a clearly dazed and confused boy, and grasped his arm gently. Staggering slightly, Machina followed Rem out to the back garden, ignoring the pointed looks that the others gave them. It seemed like the distance between all of them had been growing ever since they came back from Ingram and Rem hated being helpless through it all.

    “I didn’t…I didn’t mean to hurt her…” Machina managed to say, his transitioning mind still in a state of shock while Rem forced him to sit down on one of the benches.

    “I know you didn’t, Machina,” responded Rem, her eyes full of trust and faith as she examined his face where Ace had slugged him. “And I’m sure the others do too. Ace was just…he loves Deuce so much, he does; he can’t bear to see her hurt. And everyone has been stressed and frustrated recently, so they got angry. It’s not your fault. It was an accident.”

    An extended silence settled over the pair and Rem felt her heart clench with sadness. The young man before her felt almost a bit like a stranger, even though he wore the face of someone she had known and even loved since childhood. Had it been the Machina she knew, she was sure he would have tried to lighten the mood with a joke about how Ace was stronger than appearances suggested or how he always thought Nine would be the first to punch him. But nothing of the sort came.

    “I really…don’t belong here, do I?” Machina muttered, mostly to himself.

    Rem frowned in response, brushing her fingers over his likely fractured cheek with a light healing spell. “Of course you do, Machina. You’re a member of Class Zero, just like the rest of us.”

    Silence fell over them again. Though she didn’t know what Machina meant, tears prickled at Rem’s eyes at the thought of Class Zero falling apart. They were a team, and more importantly, they were all friends. If they couldn’t support each other through the worst of times, who would?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, angry Ace is kinda scary, but interesting to think about at the same time. He's usually so calm and gentle that I feel like he'd be pretty terrifying when he's actually mad, just like Deuce. Guess it's the nice ones that are always the scariest. XD


	9. Turning Points

    “I must have known him,” Ace muttered, eyes fixed on the tombstone in front of him. The nameplate read Izana Kunagiri, just one of the many stones in the cemetery. “But…”

    Beside him, Deuce held his arm reassuringly and watched sadly as Ace agonized over the predicament they had all been thrust into. A week had passed since Ace and Machina’s fight in the classroom and the tension between the twelve original members of Class Zero and Machina was palpable. Ace had offered his apologies to Machina for losing his temper, but the dual wielder had only grown more reclusive as the days went on.

    Worst yet, after weeks of deliberating, rumor had it that the Consortium had decided that though Class Zero may not have murdered the Queen of Concordia during the peace talks in Ingram, the class and their commanding officer were still responsible for what occurred. They had been shocked to find out that Commander Kurasame was to deploy with them in their next mission as punishment. Nine and Cater had raged for a while about that outcome, while the others could only see it as a failure in their command chain. After all, when the higher-ups screwed up, it was everyone else that suffered.

    Regardless, here they were. The air in the Peristylium was unbearably tense, with cadets stressed about the war and whether they would survive the next mission and officers and legionaries alike running around trying to organize their troops. Even Class Zero had only seen their CO a handful of times outside of class since they returned.

    “You did what you could,” said Deuce, touching Ace’s cheek reassuringly. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened, Ace.”

    “I just can’t help thinking that Machina would be better if I had been fast enough to save Izana.” Ace muttered, eyes set in a mix of frustration and sorrow. “And now I don’t even know if it’s better that I don’t remember.”

    The sound of slow, methodical footsteps coming down the cobblestone footpath suddenly drew their attention and the two turned to see Kurasame walking down the stairs into the cemetery. Deuce released Ace’s arm, the two of them unaccustomed to allowing their commanding officer see their acts of affection. They didn't even know whether the CO knew that they were a couple.

    “Commander? What are _you_ doing here?” asked Ace, a slightly accusing tone in his voice. The class still hadn’t entirely forgiven him for leaving them stranded in Milites or for his indifference when they returned.

    “This war’s been weighing all of us down, cadet,” Kurasame replied, voice ever calm and steady. “Even I need to take a load off once in a while.”

    Ace huffed, the annoyance in his voice growing at the commander’s nonchalant attitude. “You’ve had plenty of time to lounge around while we were gone.”

    “Does my attitude offend you?”

    From her spot next to Ace, Deuce frowned. She and Ace were emotionally entwined and his irritation bled into her own. “Of course,” said Deuce, bringing her hands up to chide the older man. “How could we NOT be offended by your attitude? You’re our commanding officer, aren’t you?”

    “Correct—which is why I will only state facts to you.”

    “Facts!?” growled Ace, taking a step forward as his temper rose. “Are you implying the claim that we assassinated the queen is a FACT!?”

    Kurasame closed his eyes briefly, his ice blue eyes and brow set in sadness and pain. Though his mask covered the lower half of his face and his voice maintained the same tone, the couple could read his eyes just as well as if he had no mask. “No. The world believing that you did so is a fact,” stated Kurasame. “Here is another fact: the consortium is pinning all the blame on Class Zero.”

    Deuce took a step back, reeling from the reality that their commander had set before them. They had heard the rumors, but to have their CO confirm them was another thing completely. “But that’s…”

    “For those on the battlefield, there is no room for words of sympathy or comfort,” continued Kurasame, almost as if that sentence would absolve him of any obligation to comfort them.

    “Tell us something we don’t know,” Ace shot back.

    “But this is neither a battlefield nor an official setting. I’m glad you made it back.” Kurasame’s stance relaxed, mildly surprising the couple. A hint of mirth crossed his eyes. “Well, if you had not come back, my workload would have gone down significantly. However, I also admit having you lot around keeps me on my toes.”

    “Commander…” Deuce murmured, relieved at how Kurasame seemed to be on their side.

    Eyes steeled once more, Kurasame turned to look directly at Deuce and then at Ace. “The next operation will be the biggest one yet. I will not forgive you if you die easily. As your commander, your deaths would negatively affect my evaluation.”

    Giving a brief splutter of indignation, Ace gave Kurasame a hard stare. “Well, what about you? When was the last time YOU were in battle?” The words were coarse, but Deuce would sense her partner’s concern for their commander.

    “The day I need you to worry about me will be my last.” Kurasame paused, looking back and forth between the couple for a moment as if trying to decide something. The two could almost hear the smirk that would have accompanied his next words. “Worry about each other instead, if you must. After all, a love like your own is difficult to come by.”

    His words threw Ace and Deuce for a loop, their eyes widening in surprise. So it seemed their CO did know about them. “Commander, what—?” began Ace, scratching the back of his neck bashfully.

    “Do I embarrass you with this subject?” inquired Kurasame, his eyes creasing with amusement. “I would hope that you did not think me unaware of your relationship. The way you two look at each other makes it obvious enough.”

    A light blush covered both Ace and Deuce’s cheeks at the bluntness of their commander’s statements. Shyly, Deuce slid her hand into Ace’s, fingers entwined with his for comfort, and Ace gave her an adoring look before turning back to Kurasame. The older man had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he were trying to remember something.

    “Commander Kurasame?” said Deuce, bringing Kurasame out of his daze.

    “My apologies. I was…reminiscing.” If there was any emotion in the man’s words, he was a master at hiding them. “Though I do not recall many from my past, I do take time to reflect on those I know of. Seeing the two of you…well, I see my young foolish self in you, recklessness and temper included, from what I hear.”

    “What are you trying to say?” Ace questioned quietly, thoroughly confused at the CO’s words.

    Solemnly, Kurasame looked both of the cadets in the eye. “Stay alert and take care of each other. Many loves have been lost on the field of battle. I would not see yours join them.”

 

* * *

 

 

    His glasses sitting neatly on his nose, Ace laid comfortably on his bed, reclined against his pillow with a thick folder in his hands. The impending two-pronged attack from Milites and Concordia had most of the cadets in Akademeia on edge and the almost grim warning their commander had given them had made Ace quite nervous, but as he was wont to do, he had taken that anxious energy and channeled it into reading. This intelligence report was the most recent information to come from both the spies and surveyors in Class Ninth, personally delivered to him on his request.

    “You’re still reading?”

    Moving the folder slightly, Ace looked up at Deuce, newly changed into her sleepwear. She nibbled at her lower lip nervously. Getting Ace’s mind off of work was a daunting task, but she needed him to relax lest he work himself to utter exhaustion before their mission in a few days or worse, lest they have a repeat of the classroom incident where Ace punched Machina in the nose. Nine and Sice had suggested a rather bold method of distracting him, much to her embarrassment, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t have her own ways to grab his attention. Quietly, she pulled up the covers slightly and sat down to swing her legs onto the bed.

    Almost automatically, he extended his left arm to her as she delicately slid under the covers next to him, allowing her to curl up against him with her cheek against his shoulder and her hand on his chest. It was so normal for them to cuddle in bed now, he didn’t need to take his eyes off the papers he was reading. She shifted up, pressing a light kiss to his cheek.

    “Yeah, I just got this from Naghi this afternoon,” replied Ace, stroking the soft fabric of her nightgown with a sigh. “And I need to think about how to organize our teams for this operation.”

    “…Don’t stress yourself too much, Ace. Rest for tonight?”

    “I still need to finish reading this,” he grumbled, his gaze moving back to the open report in his hand. “Both the Militesi and Concordian main forces have stopped their advance for a couple days. Likely gathering more forces from the Azurr and Roshana districts. This gives us more time to build our forces as well, but we’ve already taken losses from the initial attacks. We might—”

    Ace stopped, suddenly distracted by a pair of soft lips against his pulse point. He swallowed hard as she moved and lightly sucked the skin near his collarbone. Deuce grasped his dark nightshirt, pulling herself up slightly to press a line of kisses up his jaw. His breathing quivered under her treatment, his hand tensing on her side as her fingers trailed over his chest. She was being rather daring with her actions tonight, it seemed. The teenage male in him rejoiced at how confident Deuce was, but the working leader in him needed to read this report!

    “D-Deuce…!”

    “You’ve been working so hard, Ace,” she whispered in his ear, massaging his shoulder with her right hand. “Relax…I want to make you feel good…”

    His eyes widened. Had she not spoken in such a cute and innocent tone, he might have thought it seductive. Perhaps it still was. Clearing his throat in an attempt to resist her pleasurable ministrations, he still couldn’t help stuttering his next words. “I-I nee-need…I need to…read this…”

    Turquoise eyes entered his vision before his glasses were pulled off and his lips were covered by hers. She slid the fingers of her right hand into the hair at the nape of his neck, drawing him closer. The hand he had on her side gripped the fabric of her nightgown roughly as they parted. Foreheads pressed together, Deuce nuzzled her nose against his. “It can wait until tomorrow, can’t it?”

    “I-I really shouldn’t leave it until then,” he protested weakly.

    Much to his surprise, she brushed her lips against his and countered, “We’ve been busy all week and I would like very much to…”

    Whatever resistance he had quickly crumbled when she kissed him again. The folder shut in his hand and was summarily slapped onto the bedside table. Carefully, she set his glasses on top of the folder and then placed her hand onto his shoulder to knead the firm muscles there before moving down to cover his throat with kisses. He rumbled with enjoyment as her fingers squeezed and rubbed his neck and shoulder gently.

    “Mmmph…Deuce…feels nice…”

    Smiling against his skin, she brought a hand down to the hem of his shirt and hooked it with her finger, pulling the edge up slightly. A small grin on his lips, he grasped the cloth, helping her pull it off and toss it to the side. Lying down on him fully, she laid her head next to his and gave a content sigh. Wordlessly, he trailed his hands down her sides and dipped his head down to kiss her bare shoulder.

    “Ohhh…Ace…”

    Quiet murmurs of love fell from her lips following each gentle caress of his mouth and tongue. Slowly, he moved up her shoulder and neck, pausing briefly to suck on the junction in-between as she had done to him. She gave a faint squeal when he kissed behind her left ear, causing him to chuckle. Pulling back, he nudged her cheek with his nose and tilted his head slightly to kiss her fully on the lips.

    A light nip on her lower lip earned him a soft moan. He hummed serenely as their mouths melded together, hands exploring and touching all over. His tongue dove in past her lips, wrapping around hers and eliciting more moans. Gradually, he repositioned himself to hover over her, arms flexing with anticipation and eyes alight with fervor.

    Her fingers slid up his bare chest, up the sides of his neck, and across his jaw lovingly. Quickly turning his head slightly, he gave a playful growl and snapped at her fingers. She giggled as she drew them away a little, only for him to chase them briefly before directing his attention to her face again. More giggles escaped her as he swooped in closer to her, slowly examining her curiously.

    It was a game that they had played with each other a number of times before, when they laid together alone in the heat of osculation. He would touch her, nudge her, and try new ways of physical contact in various spots, noting which areas made her squirm or laugh or whimper with desire. She, in turn, would do the same to him. Over the course of months, they had mapped out much of each other’s upper bodies and took advantage of that knowledge whenever they could.

    “Mmm…”

    The almost featherlike nibbles he went down her arm with drew a delighted moan from her and he smirked. He was glad the sleeveless and light blue nightgown she had chosen to wear was so permissive of his actions, unlike their normal uniforms. Moving back up, he latched onto her exposed shoulder and sucked, earning a louder moan.

    Not to be outdone, she skimmed her fingers down his sternum, causing him to breathe in deeply. Stroking his chest and then down his torso, she nuzzled and kissed his collarbone. In response, he gave a breathy chuckle and an expected satisfied groan.

    Eventually, they made their way back to each other’s lips. She reached up to weave her fingers around the back of his neck and into his hair, enjoying the content purrs that he responded with. He parted his lips as she massaged his head leisurely, tongues sweeping and dancing in each other’s mouths. The heat in their bodies had built and bubbled, almost agonizing so. Softly, she tugged on his hair, silently signaling him to pause.

    “Too much?” he questioned, his hand drifting over to touch the side of her face.

    “No,” she responded with a tender smile. “But you should relax and let me…”

    With that, she pushed him onto his back and moved over him, pressing their mouths together once more. Mumbling with approval as she nibbled his bottom lip teasingly, he did as she bade and his body went slack beneath her. Fondly, she brushed his bangs to the side and caressed his face, his eyes shutting in pleasure. Her fingers skimmed down his neck, stroking the hard muscles of his chest and feeling the steady thumping of his heart, and she peppered his neck and chest with kisses.

    “Hnnn…”

    “How do you feel?” asked Deuce softly, rubbing his biceps.

    Ace gave her a roguish smirk and grabbed her by the waist, flipping her to lay against the pillows and settling over her. Impishly, he pecked her on the lips. Then, a serious look made its way onto his features. “Truthfully…I’m a bit conflicted. I have an important report to read…” He kissed her cheek, his fingers tracing the curve of her jaw. Moving down, he paved a path down to her breasts with smooches, muttering in between just loudly enough for her to hear. “But…I have this…wonderful… loving… beautiful…girlfriend…who insists on distracting me.” His blue eyes met hers. “And I can’t bring myself to resist her.” He kissed her again.

    Blushing lightly at the passion in his voice and words, Deuce pulled gently on his hair to meet his gaze again. “…Can you really blame her? She has the most considerate, charming, and handsome boyfriend who works so very hard and most definitely deserves a break.”

    He chuckled, brushing her hair out of her face. “I don’t think I could ever do justice in telling you how much you mean to me, Deuce,” Ace whispered, his head leaning down to touch foreheads. “How fortunate I am that you’re in my life.”

    “I feel the same, Ace,” she murmured against his lips. “I want to be with you. Always.”

    Mentally taking note of her words, he kissed her deeply, passionately.

    “You’ll always have me.”

 

* * *

 

 

    The doors to Classroom Zero opened and Jack, Eight, Sice, Queen, Rem, Trey, Cater, Seven, and King looked up from their discussion. Smiles graced their faces at the sight of Ace and Deuce walking in, the former noticeably more rested and relaxed than the days before.

    “Well, you look better today, Ace,” remarked Seven as the two walked down the aisle to their seats. “We’re glad.”

    “Guess you two had a real good night!” Jack added, causing the others to snicker and the couple to flush red at the insinuation.

    Deuce slid into her seat, while Ace stood next to her desk. Bashfully, she bowed her head in embarrassment and grasped the hand Ace had sitting near her, squeezing it slightly. He gave her a comforting look before raising his head to glare at Jack.

    “That’s not your business,” grumbled Ace, a hint of threatening in his voice and eyes. “Where are Nine, Cinque, and Machina?”

    “Knowing Cinque and Nine, they’re just late,” responded King, his arms crossed coolly as usual. “Haven’t seen Machina in days though.”

    Sice scoffed. “Still not planning to show up, I bet. Maybe we should start considering ourselves a thirteen-member class.”

    “I do hope he’s all right…” mumbled Rem, shrinking slightly in her seat.

    “He needs to get over whatever his problem is!” Cater spat in an irritated tone. “This is serious business!”

    Just then, the classrooms doors opened and Nine and Cinque ran in. “We’re late!” proclaimed Cinque, stopping near Trey’s desk to catch her breath. “Heeeeey, Machy still isn’t here!”

    “Shall we proceed then?” Trey inquired as Nine and Cinque took their seats. “Waiting for Machina might be a futile cause.”

    Sighing, Ace gave Deuce a reassuring look before turning back to the rest of the class. “Fine. Let’s get started. Not much has changed with the dispatch plans. Three of us will be going to Big Bridge to aid the border forces against the Militesi. The CO is going to Big Bridge as backup for Lady Caetuna, but they specifically want us to ensure the field is clear of enemies as she prepares her summon. And the rest of us are going to Judecca to engage the Concordians.”

    “Have you given any thought as to how we should be assigned?” inquired Queen.

    “The Concordians have the advantage in the air with their dragons and monsters. Since we’re traveling by airship, it’s very likely that we’ll have to fend off some troops before we even reach the Judecca border. We might even need to use the anti-air artillery on the ship’s top deck. In that respect, we need to have most of our ranged members be at Judecca,” said Ace, his brow furrowed in thought. “At the same time, the Militesi will probably be operating another Crystal Jammer. Keeping that in mind, Machina and Rem shouldn’t deploy to Big Bridge.”

    “Makes sense,” Eight commented, nodding his head in agreement. “We should probably expect a large number of MAs as well.”

    Nine scratched the side of his head, a scoff on his lips. “Those buckets o’ bolts? We can take ‘em easy, yo!”

    “So…what does that mean for our team assignments?” asked Jack lazily.

    “I think Queen, King, and Nine should go to Big Bridge,” Ace answered, glancing at the three in question. “King, you have armor-piercing bullets that are effective against the MAs, right?”

    A small nod came from the oldest male in the group. “Yeah, and explosive rounds as well.”

    “That sounds fine to me,” said Queen, writing down the assignment. “And everyone else will deploy to Judecca under your command, Ace?”

    “Yeah. Eleven of us means three squads of three and one squad of two,” muttered Ace, his head bowing slightly in thought. “Or two squads of four and one squad of three…”

    Trey brought his hand up to his chin, considering the options. “It is quite likely that Command will want us in as many areas as possible. I would anticipate them sending us in on different airships.”

    “Right, so three squads of three and one squad of two then,” agreed Ace. He looked back and forth between his classmates, mentally debating their strengths and weaknesses and the best partners. The others stayed silent as he thought, knowing better than to interrupt him. At length, he stopped and nodded, seeming to come to a conclusion.

    “So…?” questioned Sice impatiently.

    “The first team should be Trey, Cinque, and Jack. Second should be Cater, Eight, and Sice. You’ll be pushing forward through the Concordian line when we get the chance. Seven, Machina, and Rem will provide backup,” Ace announced, earning nods of approval from the others. “Deuce and I will be the two-man squad focused on far range magic.”

    Cater laughed. “You two better not be doing anything distracting when we’re all so far ahead.”

    For the second time that hour, Ace and Deuce blushed in response to their team’s comments. Even though they all knew that mission was serious business and the two wouldn’t do such a thing, they still couldn’t help but tease the couple at any opportunity.

    “I’m done here,” proclaimed Ace, his sharp eyes daring the others to continue their teasing. “Anything else we need to discuss, Queen?”

    “No, there hasn’t been a change in intel or anything, so that’s it,” Queen responded, her eyes not moving from the page as she finished writing. She looked up at Ace as she straightened the papers. “Let’s meet again tomorrow to confirm assignments. I’ll go talk to Mother and the CO now.”

    With that, the teenagers dispersed, leaving just Ace, Deuce, Cater, Cinque, Jack, and King in the classroom. Yawning, Jack leaned back in his chair, one eye cracked open to watch as Ace pushed off of the desk and gave a small shake of his head. Likewise, Cater and Cinque leaned forward none-too-discreetly when Deuce tilted her head slightly at Ace in wordless question.

    “I need to run those errands,” Ace said in way of explanation. “I’ll be back before dinner.”

    “Okay. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” asked Deuce.

    Ace gave a small smirk. “You haven’t had enough of watching me do boring things? It’s okay. I’d rather you do something you want to do rather than force yourself to go with me. I’ll find you when I’m done.”

    Closely watching Ace leave and Deuce’s resultant wistful look at his retreating back, Cinque and Cater began to giggle. At the sound of their laughs, Deuce turned, a slightly confused look on her face. “Whatever is so funny?”

    “Nothing, nothing!” snickered Cater. “You know we used to talk about all those couples around Akademeia, but now you and Ace are one of those couples! I guess it’s really cute, but ironic too.”

    “Cater!” Deuce exclaimed, her cheeks a pale pink from the thought of other cadets talking about her and Ace’s relationship. “H-Have there been rumors going around?”

    “With the other classes? No, I think you two have been super discreet. Even we didn’t even know that Ace felt so strongly about you until we’re were in Ingram!” assured Cater, leaning her cheek against her hand. “I mean, we knew how you felt, but since he never even hugged you in front of us, it was like…you know…nothing was really different.”

    Deuce smiled gently. “He didn’t want to draw too much attention to us. I think he’s getting more and more comfortable with showing his affection publicly, but he’s very loving and passionate when we’re together either way! I’m so happy when I’m with him…”

    Cinque tilted her head, a contemplative look on her face. “Hmmm…Acey loves Deucey and Deucey loves Acey! Does this mean you’re getting married? All the stories Mother used to read to us ended with the lovey-dovey people marrying!”

    A deep blush made its way onto Deuce’s face and her hands shot up to cover her mouth in shock as Cater and Jack began to laugh at Cinque’s innocent question. Although she had fantasized about it once or twice before they had started dating, she and Ace had never discussed the topic of marriage. After all, they were still only sixteen and seventeen years old and in the middle of a war, to boot. Besides, they had only been dating for just over six months!

    “I-It’s too early to say such a thing, Cinque!” Deuce stuttered, lowering her fingers from her lips. “W-We…I mean…we do love each other, but…”

    “You’re not getting married?” asked Cinque quizzically.

    Where was Trey when she actually needed him to explain things to Cinque and distract the younger girl? Nervously, Deuce fiddled with the edge of her cape as she considered what to say.

    “But you two have been sleeping together,” stated Cater in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

    “Whoa! Wait, when did this happen, Deuce?” Jack shouted in surprise from across the room. “You two actually did…”

    The implication sinking into her mind, Deuce blushed madly and shook her head. “I-It’s not like that! W-We’ve only been…we’ve been…”

    “Resting together?” suggested King calmly. “I would expect that more.”

    “Y-Yes,” Deuce replied, thankful for the mature presence of the oldest male in the group. She rubbed the end of her cape nervously. “We just…haven’t taken that step yet.”

    “As long as you make each other happy, that’s all that matters,” stated King, his arms crossed in a rather sagacious manner. “Relationships do not need to be built on the physical.”

    Smiling fondly to herself, Deuce nodded in agreement.

 

* * *

 

 

    “Nervous?”

    Quietly turning her head to see Ace stepping up behind her, Deuce gave him a small smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back against his chest, hands coming up to cover his. They were on the airship on the way to Judecca, having left Akademeia some time ago. The crew manning the vessel kept a respectful distance from the crimson-caped cadets and the others were down in the cabins, giving them some quiet time before they entered battle.

    “A little,” she admitted before looking out at the clouds again. “The view is nice though.”

    He chuckled, blue eyes focused on the horizon, but arms pulling her closer. “It is nice…for now.” His gaze wandered over to the anti-air turret on the deck. In another hour or so, they’d be at the border of Concordian territory and things would not be so peaceful. Dragons and other monsters were not easy to deal with, no matter how prepared they were. Additionally, the Concordian knights and the newly made l’Cie Celestia would be most likely be part of this battle as well. Ace frowned. It was obvious l’Cie were not to be trifled with. The Primus l’Cie they had met in Milites was beyond any opponent they had ever faced. But how could they win if one showed up at Judecca?

    There was also the issue of Machina. He hadn’t shown up to deploy for the mission, forcing Ace to reassign the teams at the last minute with Jack, Seven, and Rem switching to the forward team and Trey and Cinque moving to backup. What was Machina thinking, skipping out on such an important mission? He’d been acting strange ever since they came back from Ingram, but even Rem couldn’t ascertain the reason. Was he really so torn up about Izana that he couldn’t serve as a cadet anymore?

    “Ace…?”

    Deuce’s soft voice called Ace’s attention back to her and he tilted his head to nuzzle her, pushing his thoughts aside to focus on her. “…Stay close to me during the battle,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll protect you.”

    “We’ll protect each other,” she replied, turning to look at him. They searched each other’s eyes and she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “I love you.”

    “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

 

    The air smelled of burnt flesh and blood. Ace lifted his head as the dark storm around them began to clear and the giant azure dragon that they had fought retreated. Beside him, Deuce clutched onto her flute with one hand and his arm with the other, trembling from the residual adrenaline. A little way away, Cinque sat exhausted on the crystalline ground, leaning against her mace, and Jack helped Trey to his feet. Heaving a sigh of relief, Cater lowered her pistol while Eight stretched his arms. Seven stood next to a coughing Rem, patting the girl’s back soothingly, while Sice patted out a stray flame on her cape. Somehow they had survived the onslaught of monsters, dragons, Concordian knights, and even Celestia in her new l’Cie form.

    “Class Zero, report! You guys still there?” questioned Naghi on the COMM system, whom they had seen earlier in the battle. “Hey…!”

    Clearing his throat, Ace raised a hand to flip on the microphone. “Class Zero here. Mission accomplished. The l’Cie has left the battlefield.”

    “Holy…you guys did it! The Concordian forces are retreating!” Naghi announced. “Stay where you are! We’re coming to pick you up now!”

    “ETA?” Ace inquired, pulling Deuce against his body to support her weight.

    “Probably…fifteen minutes,” responded Naghi. “We had to pull back pretty far to avoid losing the airships to the dragons.”

    Breathing out sharply, Ace turned the card he held in his free hand. “Understood. Pick us up as soon as possible, Naghi,” said Ace calmly. “Don’t delay.”

    “You got it, friend,” Naghi answered promptly. “We’ll be there soon.”

    “Everyone okay?” asked Ace, looking around at the others and then at Deuce.

    Jack quickly glanced around and shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. “Still standing, so I guess we’re alright. Just tired, yeah? She was a tough one.”

    “As expected of l’Cie,” commented Trey, nodding his head knowingly. “We might have expected the appearance of Lady Celestia, but perhaps not in that dragon form. Speaking of which, that wyvern that Lord Zhuyu met in battle…”

    “Not now!” Sice groaned, covering her ears. “I’ve had enough noise for a day.”

    “I wonder how the team at Big Bridge is doing,” said Seven idly. “If Rubrum wins on both fronts today, we may just have a chance to turn this war in our favor.”

    With a small smirk, Cater put her hand to her hip. “They’ll be fine. I’m sure King and Queen are probably having more trouble with keeping Nine in line than with those Militesi losers!”

    “If there’s still time, perhaps we could go help them,” suggested Eight thoughtfully. “Weren’t the Militesi forces still moving when we left?”

    “Machy’s really missing out today!” Cinque chirped as she stood. “Is he okay, Remski?”

    At this, the others turned to Rem, who lowered her head sadly and bit her lip. “I…I don’t really know. I tried to talk to him yesterday, but…”

    “He didn’t tell you anything?” Seven crossed her arms. “This isn’t good. He’s isolating himself.”

    “Then how can we help him?” inquired Deuce, leaning against Ace’s shoulder. “If he won’t tell you anything, Rem, then…”

    “He’s still a member of our class,” Ace stated firmly. “When we get back, we’ll talk to him and get to the bottom of this. And he’ll need to make amends for missing out on an important mission.”

    Sice scoffed. “Isn’t skipping missions without due cause grounds for dismissal from our class?”

    “As far as I know, Mother never formalized that directive because none of us would do that,” replied Ace, shaking his head. “But that’s not—”

    “Ace! Deuce!” shouted Trey, raising his bow and interrupting the card wielder. “Behind you!”

    His arm tightening around Deuce, Ace pitched forward slightly and a spark of magic surrounded him and Deuce, teleporting them a couple meters forward. The two of them turned as Trey fired, catching a brief glance of a humanoid monster landing where they had stood before it was hit by a magical arrow.

    “Those monsters!” Ace growled, releasing Deuce and drawing out another pair of cards.

    Hisses and guttural croaks filled the air as the creatures crawled up onto the platform from all around them and the teenagers drew their weapons. The monsters were sinewy and hunched over, crawling on clawed lizard-like appendages and gnashing their teeth. Seeming to lack physical eyes, the creatures had just residuals of matted hair framing their faces and had spotted leathery skin.

    “Just what the heck are these things?” Cater reloaded her pistol and fired at one of the monsters, blasting it in the face, but doing little to deter its forward movement.

    In the back of his mind, Ace recalled an entry in the Rubicus he had read in his preparations for entering Concordia, something about the accursed citizens of the lost Kingdom of Dracobaltia. It was said that three l’Cie of the Azure Dragon sealed away the Dracobaltians in the Cursemire of Naraku for idolatry. But if these creatures really were the Dracobaltians, how did they escape their prison?

    On their way here, the team had briefly encountered these humanoid monsters, but had killed enough of them that the creatures stopped appearing after a while. Although the initial sight of them gnawing on a wounded dragon had been startling, it was the grotesque features and seemingly insatiable hunger that unnerved the cadets.

    “We need to hold out until Naghi’s here with the airship,” instructed Ace, sharp blue eyes darting back and forth between the multitude of those monsters approaching and his teammates. “Don’t let them bite you.”

    “Right!” chorused the group, moving into position to fight off the creatures.

    Eight, Sice, and Cinque charged forward, cutting through the first couple of creatures, with Jack, Seven, and Cater following just behind them. Ace gave Deuce and Rem a nod before moving forward and throwing a pair of cards at one of the creatures that had leapt at him. The cards sliced through its neck with deadly precision, causing greenish fluid to flow freely from the cuts. It shrieked, thrashing around slightly before running at them again, only to be blasted with a powerful burst of fire.

    The next few minutes passed entirely too slow for the teenagers, a continuous stream of moments blurred together in the panic of fighting for survival. Tired and waning from the previous battles, they persevered nonetheless. Slowly, they found themselves each fending off several of the monsters. Rem brought up her daggers, blocking a swipe from one of the creatures, only for another to knock her over.

    “Rem!” exclaimed Deuce, pulling her flute away from her lips and blasting the monster in front of her with a fire spell. Briefly glancing at the occupied Ace behind her, she bit her lip. Everyone else was being attacked and couldn’t help and she didn’t have a clear shot. Without another thought, she dashed toward Rem to cast a blizzard spell at the creature preparing to bite into the dagger wielder.

    “Watch out, Deuce!” yelled out Rem, rolling to her feet and seeing a particularly large creature stomping toward the flutist after moving away from the frozen monster that Deuce had saved her from.

    A pained cry left Deuce’s lips as the sinewy creature grabbed her by the leg and pulled it out from under her, causing the girl to slam against the crystalline ground. Immediately, Ace turned and threw a card to teleport forward, alarm in his eyes. He threw himself against the monster, pushing it back away from Deuce, and pressed a card into its body. The monster staggered backward and snarled, lunging at him, only to receive a thunder spell in the face and explode from the card Ace placed on its body.

    Green fluid and spotted flesh spewed over the couple as Ace stopped to breathe and Deuce managed to roll into a sitting position to look at him. Her head was spinning from the impact of falling, but she could register him talking to her and a large dark shadow behind him.

    “Ace!” Deuce shouted out in terror, her turquoise eyes wide with fear and hand instinctively reaching for him.

    His scream rattled through the sky, piercing into the depths of Deuce’s heart. She watched in horror as he fell forward onto the ground, the monster latched onto his back, fangs digging into the junction between his shoulder and neck. A crackle of energy left her fingers in the form of a spell, blasting off part of the creature’s face.

    Infuriated, the monster shrieked and turned to her, teeth red and dripping. Suddenly, Deuce felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Eight charge into her field of vision and kick the creature away from Ace. She turned to see Seven giving her a reassuring look and casting a curing spell on her head to stem the bleeding and pain before looking over at Ace. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Trey and Cater firing rapidly at the remaining monsters and Jack and Cinque running in to help Eight with the larger creature that had attacked Ace.

    Her head cleared but still in a panic, Deuce broke away from Seven and crawled over to the fallen card wielder. “Ace…Ace!” she cried out, lips trembling at the sight. The monster had bitten off a large chunk of his collarbone area, the flesh torn away and muscle exposed. There was so much blood. She brought her fingers to his neck, magic flowing, heart racing, and tears spilling down her cheeks.

    Rem and Seven came up beside her, Rem moving to cast another curing spell on Ace’s shoulder while Seven grasped Deuce’s arm. “He’s alive, Deuce. He won’t die so easily,” assured the older girl. “We have to get him back to Mother. This isn’t something cure magic can heal completely.”

    “The airship will surely be here soon!” Rem said, worry in her eyes as she looked back and forth at the unconscious Ace and the trembling, sobbing Deuce. “It’ll be okay!”

    “Naghi has arrived!” proclaimed Trey, firing another arrow as the sound of engines entered the area. “There may be more of these monsters coming, so we must hurry!”

    Seven nodded in agreement, the airship lowering behind her whipping up a strong wind. “Eight, help us with Ace! Cater, help Deuce! Trey, Sice, Jack, and Cinque, cover us!” she ordered over the howling wind, earning nods from the latter four.

    Naghi, a tall young blond man with a purplish headband holding back his bangs, ran out from the opened airship hatch. “By the Crystal…what happen—we need to get him help now!” hollered Naghi, flipping on the microphone on his COMM system. “Area hostile! One Class Zero cadet severely injured!”

    Two cadets, adorned with orange capes, ran out from the hatch, each holding one bar of a medical cot. Carefully, the Class Fourth cadets slid Ace onto the cot, allowing Naghi and Eight to pick him up and transport him into the airship. Quickly, the others followed, the hatch closing just as the few remaining monsters crawled near.

 

* * *

 

 

    “The battle at Big Bridge hasn’t started yet,” Naghi reported, leaning against the wall. “We can deploy you guys from Akademeia if you want to go help your other team out.”

    Trey, Seven, Jack, Sice, Cinque, Eight, and Cater stood outside the private room on the airship, listening to Naghi’s report on the situation. The Class Fourth cadets on the airship had done their best with the help of Rem and Deuce, but the bite wound on Ace’s neck was something they had never seen before. Not only had the monster torn out skin and muscle, but it had left a deadly paralyzing venom in the wound as well. A weaker man would have died by now.

    “We should go help the others then,” said Trey solemnly. “We wouldn’t be of much help to Ace. Only Mother will be able to heal him.”

    With a low sigh, Seven crossed her arms. “In that case, we should allow Deuce and Rem to stay with him. I imagine Deuce will want to be by his side as he recovers.”

    “Yeah, that must have been really scary for her…” murmured Cinque sympathetically. “It was scary for me too, but it must have been much worse for her.”

    Sounds of agreement coursed through the group before a stifling silence settled over them, none of them wanting to address the possibility of Ace dying before they reached Akademeia. The cure spells and potions had slowed the external bleeding for the moment, but the wound was far too large for the flesh to be completely regenerated and sealed with their magic. If they couldn’t make it back to Akademeia in time, Ace could succumb to the venom and blood loss and then not even Dr. Arecia, with her overwhelmingly powerful magic, would be able to bring him back. There was also the possibility of him being permanently crippled from the injury, which may have, in a way, been a worse fate than death. Either way, the outcome was grim if they didn’t return home in time.

    “We should go check on them,” Cater suggested, looking at the door to the private room.

    “Yeah,” agreed Jack, a weak smile on his face. “Let’s check on them.”

    Nodding his head, Naghi gave them a comforting look and turned to head down the corridor. “I’ll go make sure those pilots are pushing the engines to the max. I really hope Ace gets better. Give him my regards when he wakes.”

    Noiselessly, the teenagers entered the private room. It was a suite usually for commanding officers, but the Dominion Tribune in charge of this airship had kindly allowed them to use it as Class Zero had been the dominion’s saving grace in so many battles. More importantly, it had allowed them to avoid the airship infirmary, where several of the other cadets that had fought laid injured.

    The room was comfortably large, adorned with maps and other warfare decorations on the walls. Against the side wall sat a double bed, covered in sheets of red and gold, where Ace laid. Beside him, Deuce sat in the armchair they had pulled over for her, hands clasped around his left hand. Rem sat in an office chair beside her, standing as the others approached.

    “How far are we from Akademeia?” asked Rem softly.

    “Still some ways,” Eight answered. “I think we just flew over Innscoast.”

    Cater placed a hand on Deuce’s shoulder. “Deuce, how are you doing?”

    When Deuce looked up at her, Cater could see the redness in her eyes from crying, but also the pain and sadness in her heart. “I’m…I…It… ” Deuce said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Ace…he…I can’t…I can’t…”

    Stepping over to Deuce’s side, Cinque hugged the flutist consolingly. “It’ll be okay, Deucey. Mother will make it all better for Acey.”

    “Yeah, he won’t just keel over and die like that,” added Sice, eyes unusually gentle.

    Weakly, Deuce squeezed the hand in her grasp. “He…He saved me…”

 

* * *

 

 

    “We’re headed out to help the others,” Seven had said to Deuce before looking at Rem. “Let us know if his condition changes, okay?”

    The others had been gone for over an hour now, deployed to the Rubrum-Milites front to help Queen, King, and Nine. Deuce and Rem stood silently outside Dr. Arecia’s office door in the Sorcery Department, anxiously waiting for any news. Once they had gotten Ace into the archsorceress’s care, they retreated to their rooms to shower and wash themselves of the grime and guts from the battle. But now that they were done with that, there was nothing to do but wait.

    “I’m sorry,” said Rem quietly, suddenly turning to Deuce. “During the battle, you had to save me. And then Ace…”

    Eyes widening at surprise at this assessment, Deuce shook her head. “No, it was my fault. Ace told me not to leave his side while we were fighting…” mumbled Deuce, hugging herself. “But I couldn’t let you get hurt either! Everyone else was fighting and everything was moving so fast…I let down my guard and Ace paid for it. I…he was in so much pain…it was my fault…”

    “Don’t say that,” Rem responded soothingly but firmly. “I know he felt the same as you when you moved to protect me. He couldn’t let you get hurt either.”

    All of the sudden, the door behind them opened and Dr. Arecia stepped out, her signature pipe in hand and her face the picture of calm. “Don’t worry,” she said, giving Deuce a sympathetic look. “He’ll be fine. His body will be sore and the muscles in that area will be stiff for some time, but as long as he rests, he’ll make a full recovery.”

    “T-Thank you, Mother,” Deuce murmured, wiping away a tear from her eye. “Umm…”

    Dr. Arecia smiled knowingly. “You want to see him, is that right?”

    “Y-Yes, Mother.”

    “The two of you may see him briefly in my office. After that, I’ll have him taken back to his room,” announced Dr. Arecia, taking a draft of her pipe. “During that time, Deuce, I would like to speak with you for just a moment.”

    “O-Of course, Mother.”

    Ace was reclined on the check-up chair in Dr. Arecia’s office when Deuce and Rem entered, bare from his waist up, his skin smeared with blood. His torn uniform, cape, and shirt were piled on the floor nearby. The wound was completely healed, no indication that the flesh had been absent a mere hour ago. As she walked up to his bedside, Deuce could hear his shallow breathing and see his chest slowly rise and drop with each breath. Reaching out to touch his shoulder, she held back a sob of relief. He was okay. If it hadn’t been for all the blood, he might have looked like he was just sleeping.

    Just then, two of the Dominion Tribunes entered the room at Dr. Arecia’s behest and picked Ace up to transport him back to his dorm room. Deuce watched as they lifted him onto the cot and took him out of the room carefully. Saying that she’d tell the others the good news, Rem took her leave, allowing Deuce to talk to Dr. Arecia privately.

 

* * *

 

 

    Slowly drawing her fingers over his neck and collarbone, Deuce examined the feel of the new flesh from her spot sitting next to Ace on the bed. He hadn’t woken yet, but he had mumbled slightly in his sleep, giving her reassurance that he was just resting. Usually, he was a light sleeper, her morning motions and caresses able to wake him. Part of her wished that he could wake now, yet the other hoped for him to sleep on and rest. He needed it, after all.

    “Deuce…?”

    Her name left his lips slowly, as if he were subconsciously recognizing her presence. Ace seemed to struggle with opening his eyes slightly, but gradually, his eyelids came up and he looked at her with weary, unfocused blue eyes. His left hand came up from his side to cover the hand she had on his collarbone and he breathed in deeply.

    “Ace…”

    “Where…?”

    She brought her free hand up to brush his hair away from his eyes. “In your room. We made it back to the dominion safely,” she answered. “How are you feeling?”

    “Uhhh…kind of feels like I got hit by a Behemoth…” he slurred, moving his limbs a bit. “Can’t move shoulder too well…vision is fuzzy…I got bit by something…right?”

    A surge of guilt rose in Deuce and she nodded sadly, picking up the glass of water on his night side table and tilting it against his lips. “Y-Yes. That monster bit you here and paralyzed you. Mother healed you when we brought you back, but she said that you’d probably feel very stiff and that you would not be able to see very well until the last traces of the venom have been purged from your body.”

    “The others are okay?” he asked when she placed the cup back on the table.

    “Y-Yes. They went to help Queen and the others at the Milites front and should be back very soon,” said Deuce, touching his cheek to turn his head toward her and looking into his eyes. The usual sharp blues had a dull sheen to it, making them seem cloudy. “They’ll want to see you.”

    He paused, brow furrowing slightly as he gave a low groan in response and then glanced over her. “And…are you okay, Deuce?”

    “O-Of course! You saved me! You…” He was still so concerned over her and the others, even when he was the one recovering in bed. How could she deserve such a man? Tears began to well up in her eyes and she brought her free hand to wipe them, only for a sob to escape her lips. “I-I’m so sorry, Ace! It’s my fault you’re…”

    With a grunt of effort, he planted his left hand beside him and slid up against the headboard, pushing the pillows up to serve as his backrest. His right hand came up sluggishly, touching her cheek with the tip of his fingers. She stopped, tears still flowing, watching as he gave her a tired look.

    “Don’t talk like that…like you’re some burden,” he muttered, trailing his fingers down her cheek and neck. “You’re not. I just…can’t stand to see you hurt. I want you to be safe and happy.”

    Pink with emotion, Deuce leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his bare chest, pressing her cheek against his uninjured shoulder. “Ace…”

    Leaning his cheek against the crown of her head, Ace leisurely slid his arms around Deuce in a gentle embrace. He sat silently as her tears wet his shoulder and words of apology and love fell from her lips. Wiping away the remaining tears tenderly, he pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her hair.

    “You’re okay. We’re okay,” he whispered, his thumb stroking her cheek. “I’m here…”

    Deuce turned to look up at him, half-lidded eyes slightly red and lips parted as if she wanted to say something else. Instead, she moved up on him, their lips meeting smoothly and melding together despite his impaired vision, a testament to how practiced they had become at the act. Ace could feel a sense of desperation in her and he relaxed, allowing her to guide their motions.

    When they finally parted, he grinned at her reassuringly, earning a teary smile in return. A mutual understanding settled between them, a feeling of hope and anticipation for the future present for the first time since the beginning of the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a busy couple months, but we're back! :D
> 
> As a side note, those Dracobaltians during the Battle of Judecca totally freaked me out the first time I played that level because they chomped on Ace and insta-killed him. Traumatizing. My feelings toward that moment may or may not have come out in this chapter. XD


	10. A Feeling of Comfort

    The sensation of warm lips against her own roused Deuce from her sleep early that morning. Groggily, she opened her eyes and smiled when she registered Ace’s boyish features before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She could feel her mattress sink slightly under his weight as he slowly leaned onto her, a grin on his face.

    “Good morning,” he rumbled, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.

    “Mmm…good morning,” she mumbled back. A happy sigh escaped her lips as he pressed a line of kisses down the side of her jaw. “You’re feeling better today?”

    Almost four days had passed since they returned from their mission. As far as the war was going, though the cost had been quite high, both the battles at Judecca and Big Bridge had been victories for the Dominion of Rubrum. These victories had given those still alive hope that the dominion would finally be able to strike back and the leadership immediately began work on plans for pushing into both Militesi and Concordian territory. For now, the cadets were on standby.

    The others in Class Zero were glad to see Ace alive and getting well, each coming to check on him during his four-day stint confined to bedrest. They had been informed that their commanding officer, a man named Kurasame, had died at Big Bridge assisting Lady Caetuna in the summoning of the Verboten Eidolon Alexander, but the Crystal had already erased their memories of him. The consortium had decided not to assign another commanding officer to Class Zero, forcing Queen to sit with Ace and Deuce for an entire afternoon to work out leadership responsibilities and assignments with Moglin giving them their mission briefings from now on. Additionally, Machina had reappeared sometime during those few days and Cater went to talk to him, only to be snapped at for her intrusiveness. Aside from those two issues, they were able to relax for a few days.

    Deuce had spent most of that time helping Ace in his recovery, helping him back and forth between locations and massaging his muscles before he drifted off to sleep. The two had, however, decided to sleep in their separate beds while he recovered, so that they wouldn’t aggravate his discomfort. To her surprise, Deuce had found herself feeling quite lonely in her bed the past few nights, despite the fact they had only been sleeping together for a month before the mission at Judecca.

    He pulled her covers back slightly for better access and pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear. “Much better,” he replied, his breath tickling her skin. “Best I’ve felt in weeks.”

    “I’m glad,” she giggled as he laid quick, tiny kisses on her neck. “T-That tickles, Ace!”

    A mischievous smirk spread across his lips and he grasped her arm to keep her in one spot. His eyes twinkled playfully and she looked at him, mildly confused. Swiftly, he slid his free hand down her side and wiggled his fingers against her stomach. One of the things he had discovered in his exploration of her body in the months they’d been together was how ticklish and sensitive her skin was. She squirmed, a small squeal escaping her lips, and he snickered at having achieved his desired effect.

    Dipping his head down once more, he kissed her and simultaneously began to tickle her again, causing her to wriggle under him, her giggles hidden in their entwined lips. When they parted, she continued to laugh softly despite herself, her free hand reaching up to grasp his arm to wordlessly beg him to stop. As she bade, he stopped, his hand pressing lightly against her belly while she caught her breath.

    “I love hearing you laugh,” he stated softly and sincerely when she gave him an amused look. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

    “I’m just happy you’ve recovered,” she replied, brushing her nose against his and nuzzling him affectionately. “But you’re so very welcome.”

    Drawing back to hover over her, Ace stared at her, his sharp blue eyes meeting her turquoise. He grinned and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips. “I missed this so much.”

    “Why are you up so early?” she inquired, curling her fingers into his hair. “The sun is barely up.”

    “Guess you could say I was feeling restless. I’ve been in bed for so many days, I’m a little tired of it,” he said, nudging his nose against her pulse point as he brushed his lips down her neck. “...And I miss waking up to you by my side.”

    Her cheeks growing pink at his admission, Deuce pulled him up for another kiss and smiled dreamily at him. “If you’re feeling better, then…” she began, rubbing the back of his head.

    Ace chuckled, kissing her once more and then pressing their foreheads together lightly. “Yeah, we can sleep together again tonight,” he responded, a besotted look on his face as he admired her still sleepy appearance. “Ah, sorry for waking you. I just couldn’t...help myself.”

    “Come join me?” murmured Deuce, pulling the covers aside slightly to give him room to join her. “I missed you too.”

    With a hum of approval, he unbuckled his jacket and tossed it onto her desk chair along with his mantle before sliding in under the covers with her. As soon as he was beside her, she curled up next to him, pulling his arm around herself and laying her head against his chest. He gave a low chuckle and drew her in closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she placed a hand on his injured shoulder and rubbed it gently.

    “My shoulder is still a bit stiff, but at least I can move my arm without feeling like it’s barely attached. It’s a lot better than a couple days ago,” he said quietly, the concerned look on her face starting to fuel his own restless worry. Shifting slightly, she pressed a light kiss to his throat and he breathed in deeply, relaxing under her touch.

    Her hand continued to knead the muscles along his shoulder and he nuzzled her contently, making her smile gently at him. The two of them rarely had such calm and relaxed mornings between the usual hustle and bustle of missions, classes, and training, which only made such moments even more cherishable when they arose. A small smirk pulled at his lips when he thought of how different they were in the mornings together than individually. Before they had begun sleeping in the same bed, they had always been one of the first ones up and out of their rooms, disposition and habit leading them to start the day early and not laze about in bed. And yet with each other, they were content to stay in bed well past the sunrise, huddled together with the warmth and the comfortable companionship the other offered.

    Slowly, the morning crept on and the sunlight through the windows grew across her room. At some point, Deuce had stopped massaging his shoulder and started tracing light, nonsensical patterns against his chest, but he was perfectly content to let her. All of the sudden, Ace yawned and stretched before burying his nose into her hair relaxedly.

    “Mmm, should we get up before you fall asleep again, Ace?” she inquired, a hint of teasing in her voice. “Didn’t you say you were tired of being in bed?”

    “Being in bed alone, mostly,” he huffed against her hair, shrugging his injured shoulder slightly. “I don't mind it if I'm with you.”

    “You’re so cute, Ace,” Deuce cooed lovingly, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. “I like being in bed with you too. You’re so warm and cozy.”

    He blushed at her comment and turned his head aside with a low grunt of mock disgruntlement. “...You’re right though. We probably should get up. I need to go talk to Queen about the war situation and our missions…”

    “You’re still recovering, Ace,” she reminded him gently. “Don't push yourself.”

    “I won’t.”

    With another grunt, he shifted to let her slide out of his hold and then swung his legs over the side of the bed to stand. Picking up his jacket from her desk chair, he let his gaze wander to Deuce at her dresser as he slid his jacket over his shoulders. The sight of her pulling out a clean uniform and running her fingers over the cloth to smooth out the random wrinkles was all too familiar to him now, and his four-day stint of sleeping alone had made that feeling painfully obvious.

    That notion was strange yet unsurprising, he thought. He had gotten used to having her close in their daily lives and he had the sinking suspicion that if she ever grew distant from him, he would feel her absence through his very mind and heart. A sigh escaped his lips at that dark thought and his fingers subconsciously clenched his jacket.

    The thought of her absence had been so distressing that he had barely registered Deuce setting her uniform on her bed and stepping in front of him, her hands coming up to his shoulders. “Let me help. Your shoulder is still hurt,” she said softly, drawing the sleeve of his jacket to the side and touching his hand to make him relax. Carefully, she slid the fabric over his hand and let him extend his arm through the sleeve. “Do you need me to…?”

    “Ahh, no, I’m okay,” he assured her, putting his other arm through the jacket sleeve. “Just… thinking too much. As usual. Thank you.”

    “...What were you thinking about?”

    She grabbed his mantle from her chair and placed it neatly on his shoulders. Breathing in deeply at her touch at his neck, he watched as she pulled the red cloth through its binding clip and carefully adjusted it. In the back of his mind, he found something oddly intimate about her helping him get dressed.

    “Just...about you. About us,” he replied, his voice laced with contentment and adoration as he spoke. “How this seems so...normal now.”

    “It is a bit odd, isn’t it?” she asked, blushing at his fond tone. “We haven’t been together this way all that long...but I like it. A lot. I like being with you, by your side.”

    “Me too, Deuce.”

    Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, feeling his strong arms come around her almost immediately after. Though he was good at expressing his love for her when they were alone, Ace rarely vocalized his thoughts about the two of them as a couple. But when he did, Deuce always found herself teeming with warmth and excitement. He placed a light kiss to her left temple and she pressed herself closer to him, almost standing between his feet.

    “I should really get ready,” she murmured, reluctant to step away from him. “The others will start wondering where we are.”

    “Yeah, well...they’ll figure it out,” he grumbled as she pulled away from his embrace. He had been enjoying their contact. A sly grin spread across his lips as an idea, one that would surely get a rise out of his demure girlfriend, popped into his head. Just as she picked up her skirt, he stepped behind her, hands drifting teasingly along her waist. “Let me help you at least…”

    “A-Ace…!”

 

* * *

 

    News of the war front was dull for the time being, and Ace was thankful for that. Though the battles at Judecca and Big Bridge had severely hampered the Concordians and the Militesi in terms of military might, they were sure to retaliate with Rubrum’s forces moving further into their respective territories. But without information, he and the others couldn’t make any preparations for battle.

    In their newfound free time, he and Deuce found themselves reading a novel inside—their first time in months, since war preparations and training had taken up so much of their time. She had found the book in the Crystarium while he was confined to bedrest and had eagerly awaited the opportunity to read it with him. Though they usually read their textbooks and other reference materials when they spent time together like this before, she had since unofficially taken on the task of making sure Ace didn’t overwork himself. And so, she had presented him with an exciting novel she knew he’d be interested in.

    They were curled up at the Class Zero common room window bench together, his back against the wall and her sitting between his legs. His chin rested on her shoulder as she leaned up against him, comfortable in each other’s presence despite the lack of words. Arms positioned firmly around her to hold the covers of the book, he finished reading the last paragraph in the section and waited patiently for her to turn the page. His face must have shown his utter contentment, for instead of turning the page, Deuce spoke for the first time in perhaps an hour or so.

    “I feel as though I haven’t seen you so relaxed in such a long time, Ace,” Deuce commented just then, nudging him with her head lightly and playfully. “I’m glad to see it.”

    “Thanks to you,” he answered with a small, adoring grin. “The others noticed too. They like to remind me how lucky I am to be with you...which I agree with completely, of course.”

    A light blush covered her cheeks at his statement and she turned her head aside shyly, earning a low chuckle from him in response. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was around to see, she pressed herself closer to him and turned to peck his cheek. As she drew back, she smiled warmly, wordlessly admiring the besmitten expression on his face, the one she knew he reserved only for her.

    “You’re too kind to me!” She leaned back slightly, looking at him as lovingly as he did her. “I’m the lucky one for being by your side.”

    “Let’s call it a draw and say we’re both fortunate to be together,” he chuckled, nuzzling her affectionately. “Hmm, good thing we went for a walk earlier. It’s raining now. We would be soaking wet right now if we did what I was thinking of doing after.”

    Pausing for a moment, Deuce glanced outside the window beside them. Sure enough, the sky had grown dark and the clouds had begun to pour heavy rain. They had gone out for a walk because Ace was tired of being cooped up inside, especially after his four-day confinement to bed. But after they had quelled his restlessness, he asked her to choose their next activity. Her heart had swelled at the underlying sentiment; his kind and considerate nature was part of why she loved him so much.

    In truth, she was just happy to spend time with him, every moment together deepening her affection for him. She had known since they were children that he was a devoted, gentle soul behind his usual hard, reserved demeanor, and his behavior through their courtship had only supported that. More than anything, he made her feel safe and comfortable, even in these trying times of war and stress, and in a way, she craved his presence for it.

    “Mmm...what were you thinking of?” she asked curiously. “Training?”

    “...You’re starting to read my mind and it’s a little scary,” he deadpanned, staring at her in a mix of awe and amusement. “But yeah.”

    Having spent so much time with him, Deuce could hardly call her estimate a random guess. Ace was a very practical and habitual young man, and after being unable to train for four days, his natural tendency would have been to make up for his missed training sessions. It actually surprised her more that he didn’t than the fact that he thought of training after their walk.

    “Why didn’t you train then?” She turned the page and leaned back against his chest again, letting his chin return to its position on her shoulder and his head to lean against hers.

    “Didn’t want to worry you,” he mumbled quietly, arms tightening around her just ever-so-lightly. “You’ve done enough worrying about me the last couple weeks. I can go back to training after Mother checks on me tomorrow.”

    “Mmm, thank you,” she said, nestling closer in his embrace. “I think you’ve started to read my mind too, Ace.”

    He chuckled in her ear, sending a delightful shiver down her spine. “Guess so.”

    Silence settled over the two of them again as they resumed their reading, the only sounds in the room their relaxed breathing, the pitter-patter of rain against the window, and the occasional rustle of their clothes when they shifted in position. In their intimate hold, Ace kept his chin on her shoulder and Deuce traced random patterns on his knee with her free hand.

    Hours seemed to pass in comfortable tranquility. The rain outside had tapered to a drizzle and night had begun to fall when Cater and Cinque opened the door to the common room, returning to their dorms from their activities around Akademeia. Deuce looked up at the click of the common room door, turning her head and smiling at the two girls in greeting. To her surprise, Ace didn’t turn to look at them, his head slumped down on her shoulder and his eyes closed in rest. He must have been more tired than they originally thought and fallen asleep while they were reading.

    “Aww, that’s adorable, Deuce,” said Cater in a teasing tone as she and Cinque approached. “He doesn’t look so stuck up like he usually does like that.”

    Cinque tilted her head to the side, examining Ace’s close hold on Deuce even in his sleep. “Wow! We always knew Acey could fall asleep anywhere, but I don’t think he’s ever fallen asleep on someone before. He really loves you, Deucey!”

    “Does he sleep on you like this every night?” Cater inquired with a snicker. “Wouldn’t have guessed he’d be so...cuddly.”

    “I bet Acey feels safe and comfy with Deucey, so he can be all snuggly-wuggly with her,” stated Cinque in an almost sagacious manner. “Just like when we snuggled up together to keep each other warm and safe at night when we were kids!”

    “Hey, that reminds me…” Cater grinned mischievously at Deuce. “Didn’t you sneak into Ace’s bed a couple times back then, Deuce?”

    “T-That...!”

    “You don’t have to say it. It’s written all over your face,” said Cater, holding back a laugh. “At least now you don’t have to sneak into his bed anymore.”

    Blushing slightly at their comments, Deuce closed the book and set it aside, careful not to disturb Ace in her movement. She then brought a hand up to the side of Ace’s head, gently weaving her fingers into his hair and rustling it fondly. “Mmm...I suppose we should have expected this. He is still recovering, after all,” Deuce remarked, rubbing his cheek with hers lightly yet adoringly. “Perhaps we should have read in bed, so he could lay down.”

    “So cute!” Cinque squealed quietly at the affectionate display. “Acey’s being so cuddly… Cinquey’s kinda jealous!”

    “I don’t think you’d want to date Ace, Cinque,” retorted Cater after muffling a laugh. “He’s not exciting or anything. You’d get bored really fast.”

    “Eh? But Deucey doesn’t seem bored!”

    Cater shrugged, a teasing smirk on her lips. “She doesn’t need the excitement. Besides, she’s been in love with him since we were kids. Don’t you remember?”

    “Oh yeah! Deucey thought Acey was sooooo cute and handsome and smart! Even though he was lame sometimes and wouldn’t play with the rest of us,” said Cinque nonchalantly, waving a hand in front of Ace’s face. “It must have felt really good when Acey fell in love with you too!”

    Suddenly, Deuce felt Ace’s arms tighten around her, distracting her from her embarrassed reply. Shifting just enough for her to notice, he leaned into her touch and pulled her closer to his chest. Her fingers gripped his hair gently to calm him and he nuzzled her shoulder with a low grumble as if he were about to wake up, startling the other two girls.

    “Oh, you two are too much!” exclaimed Deuce, her face burning as she hurriedly gestured for the Cater and Cinque to leave.

    Snickering under their breath at Deuce, the two scampered off, leaving the flutist to sigh and brush her fingers through Ace’s hair at the side of his head to coax him awake. In response, he turned to set his cheek against her shoulder with a gruff grumble, confirming what she had suspected. He was awake and most likely had been for some time. With an amused shake of her head, Deuce hoped Cater and Cinque would have the good taste to not spy on them and quickly pressed a kiss to his forehead.

    A low huff of laughter escaped his lips and he cracked open an eye to look at her. “What? You don’t like me being...what’d they say…‘cuddly’?” he questioned softly, a smirk on his face.

    Deuce held back a giggle as he straightened up to allow her to turn to look at him. “It’s not that… how long have you been awake, Ace?”

    “Cinque didn’t close that door quietly enough for me to sleep through it,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. “I heard basically everything.”

    Face still pink, she gave him a shy and embarrassed look. “...Everything?”

    “Yeah, although I can’t say I was pleased to hear that they think I’m boring,” he said, brow furrowed in mild annoyance before turning into concern. “...Am I?”

    Lips pursed in a tender smile, Deuce placed her hands on the back of his head and threaded her fingers through his hair to give him a firm yet chaste kiss. Almost instinctively, Ace tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer and tilting his head to deepen their liplock. A minute later, she drew back, smiling happily at the love-struck look on his face.

    “Not at all,” she giggled, giving him another peck on the lips. “You’re just the right amount of excitement for me.”

    “Well, I suppose I have nothing to worry about then. Your opinion is the only one that matters for that,” he responded with a grin, his heart thumping just slightly faster than before as her hand drifted down from his hair to his chest. “You’re the one who has to put up with me, after all.”

    “Oh, Cater and Cinque were just teasing, Ace.”

    He gave her a skeptical look. As much as he believed in her faith in her best friends and how they all got along, he knew abundantly well how Cater and Cinque saw him—the two girls weren’t exactly coy about their opinions of him. In fact, if memory served, Cater had called him ‘such a bore’ just two weeks ago when he was reading up on the latest intel with Deuce dozing on his shoulder.

    After a moment, he sighed. Like he said himself, it didn’t really matter what Cater and Cinque thought of how exciting he was. They accepted him as Deuce’s chosen partner and he was thankful for that, even if they did still make fun of him on occasion.

    Just then, a wry smirk made its way into his lips as he thought about the other part of the conversation the girls had while they thought he was asleep. “So...you thought I was ‘cute and handsome and smart’ when we were kids, huh?”

    “Mmm...I told you I had quite the crush on you,” she murmured, face reddening just a shade darker. “And you’re still...all those things.”

    “Glad to know you still think so,” he chuckled before pausing at the next thought that popped into his head. His hands slid along her hips, grabbing her waist gently to steady her as she turned her head to the side bashfully. He smirked once more, voice soft yet teasing in her ear. “Was that why you wanted to sleep with me back then? Or were you actually scared of the monsters that you thought were in the darkness under your bed?”

    Letting out a small whine of embarrassment, she pouted and gave him a light smack on the chest in a futile effort to make him stop teasing her. Ace was in one of his rare playful moods, which admittedly, had become more frequent ever since they had started dating. Something about her flustered state was inexplicably attractive to him and he took advantage of every opportunity he had to indulge in his more mischievous side when it came to her.

    “A-A bit of both,” she admitted, daring to look at him again. “Sice and Cater did tell me there were monsters, so I was scared...but I went to you because you made me feel safe…”

    Giving her a sympathetic look, Ace brought her closer, his hands still holding her waist lightly as she stared at him timidly. “Well, luckily for you, I’m as happy to keep you safe from all the monsters and terrible people of the world as I was when we were seven,” he said lightheartedly, yet with a serious undertone in his words, assuring her that he didn’t mind. She smiled, resisting the urge to tell him that he already did as he continued. “You’ll be safe with me.”

    “My hero,” she cooed, her self-consciousness fading away in the warmth of his words.

    All of the sudden, a low rumble rang out from his abdomen and Deuce held back a knowing laugh. “Hmm, I’m going to have to get some food before I fight off any monsters for you though,” grumbled Ace with a huff of amusement. “Time for dinner.”

    The two untangled themselves from each other smoothly, Deuce sliding off of the window seat and pulling Ace along with her as she stood. She made to pick up the book they had been reading, only to pause as he did so himself. Clearly, he had the same thought she did. As far as couples went, they were wonderfully in sync, she thought as he picked up the novel she put to the side and placed it on their seat to reserve their spot.

    If anything, she was becoming more and more sure that they were meant to be in some destined sense. The conversation with Cater and Cinque had reminded her that despite her officially upgraded relationship status with him, she and Ace had some semblance of this relationship over most of the time they had known each other, even as children. Even though she was the more forward one back then, he had entertained her affections just the same when he wouldn’t do so for anyone else.

    Her hand holding onto his, she weaved their fingers together with a squeeze and he looked at her, wordlessly questioning with his eyes. Words seemed to hang on the tip of her tongue, but she smiled and shook her head instead, opting for the simpler answer.

    “I love you.”

    “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

    “How is Ace doing, Deuce? Is he okay to be training?”

    Turning her attention away from the training field where Ace and Eight were sparring, Deuce looked at Rem, who had come up beside her at the sidelines. “Oh, he’s fine now. Mother said he was fully recovered, so he wanted to get some training in to make up for being injured for so many days. Thank you for asking!”

    “That’s good. We were all very worried, we were,” said Rem, nodding slightly. “He really does a lot for the class, doesn’t he? I didn’t get a sense of it until Queen told me about all the documents and books she had to bring to him while he was recovering.”

    “Oh yes, Ace works very hard to make sure he’s prepared to lead us,” Deuce answered with a sigh. “It worries me sometimes, how much he works. I try to remind him to take a break as often as possible, but…”

    “I’m sure he appreciates it.” Rem paused as they watched Ace teleport behind Eight and deliver a swift hit to the martial artist with his cards. “You two are so...well suited for each other. Has it always been that way?”

    The image of a lonely, wide-eyed boy whose face often showed a sense of bewilderment to her presence, as if confused as to why she would want to spend time with him, in her mind brought a small smile to Deuce’s face. Memories of gently grabbing Ace by the arm to guide him into games with the others and curling up with him on dark nights when her imagination had gone wild flashed through her mind. He was far quieter, far more reclusive back then, but still the same kind and sensitive soul that she had originally been attracted to.

    “Mmm...in a way,” Deuce responded, clasping her hands together. “We’ve always gotten along quite well. Ace was such a sweet boy. Not too different from how he is now, actually! He didn’t play much with the rest of us, but I rather liked it when he did.”

    “Hmm, so Ace was the serious and reserved type back then too?” inquired Rem, a hint of awe in her voice. “I’m impressed, Deuce! You’ve always been able to see his sweeter and gentler side. And he must have picked up on that and responded to it. I can see why the others weren’t surprised at all when the two of you started dating!”

    A light blush covered Deuce’s cheeks at Rem’s remarks. Even as they grew older, she hadn’t ever given any thought as to why Ace had accepted her love and affections, simply being thankful that he did. But what Rem was saying made a bit of sense. After all, she was the first one to reach out to him when Class Zero originally came together under Dr. Arecia’s tutelage and his most frequent supporter other than Dr. Arecia herself.

    “I suppose…but he has treated me kindly from the moment we first met. It isn’t like he changed in response to how I treated him! In fact, our relationship hasn’t really changed very much from then!”

    “Your relationship hasn’t changed very much? But you started dating not long after Machina and I joined Class Zero…” Rem’s voice was soft and quiet, yet the confusion in it was evident. “How can that be? You were just friends and then...”

    “We’ve always been…” To Rem’s surprise, Deuce seemed to struggle with the word she wanted, pursing her lips in concentration as she stopped to watch Ace and Eight for a bit as she thought. After a couple moments, she unfolded her hands with a nod and continued. “...Comfortable—yes, I suppose that’s a good word for it—we’ve always been comfortable with each other, but that just means a little more now than it did when we were children.”

    “How so?”

    “Mmm...it’s hard to describe. I think because we’ve gotten older and matured, our emotions are more complex now, but they’re still the same feelings we’ve had since we were children. Back then, we gave each other comfort when we were scared and encouragement when we needed support. We also talked about how we felt, especially when it came to the others and our training. Most of all, we trusted each other and we wanted to make each other happy. None of that has changed. We just have more responsibilities now and more things to worry about, so we do more to take care of each other. And our feelings weren’t as obvious to each other until we started dating. Oh, and we added to the...physical intimacy that we share. But emotionally, we’re still as comfortable with each other as we’ve always been.”

    Rem fell silent just then, Deuce’s words a stark reminder of how things had been with Machina. They too had comforted each other in their fears, encouraged each other in moments of weakness, and wanted to make each other happy. For a while, even after they had been separated for years and then reunited, Rem had believed that to be still true about their relationship. But something had changed for the worse between them, causing Machina to withdraw from her emotionally as well as physically, and she had no idea what it was.

    “Can I ask you something a bit strange, Deuce?” questioned Rem, lifting her eyes to look at the flutist once more.

    Confusedly, Deuce nodded. “What is it?”

    “If suddenly one day, Ace was to...start acting strange, like barely talking to you or not wanting to see you, without any explanation, what would you do?”

    The quiet pain in Rem’s words was all too evident to Deuce and she could only assume that Machina had done just what Rem described in this hypothetical question. Not wanting to push or seem nosy, Deuce let out a sigh before looking back to the training field where Eight was clapping Ace on the back. She could imagine how difficult and deep that pain ran, for she would certainly feel the same way if it were Ace.

    “Honestly, I don’t know. I want to believe that he trusts me and would tell me why, but if he wouldn’t, then…I don’t know.” Deuce closed her eyes in thought, squeezing her hands slightly. She had to say something at least a little comforting. Opening her eyes, she nodded and turned back to Rem. “I would have to trust that he has his reasons and that he values our relationship enough to explain later. It would be unbearably hard to deal with at the moment...but I have to trust that he has the best intentions.”

    “You’re so strong, Deuce,” murmured Rem, eyes downcast once more.

    Just then, the sound of Eight and Ace’s voices approaching drew the girls’ attentions and they looked up to see the two boys walking over. With a knowing grin on his face, Eight gave Ace a brotherly slap on the shoulder and pushed the card wielder toward Deuce. Almost immediately, Ace was in front of her, happiness practically radiating in his facial expression as he looked at her.

    “Training went well?” asked Deuce, reaching for Ace’s hand with hers and weaving their fingers together. “It looked like you were both in top form.”

    “Well, I won, so…” Ace started with a smirk, only to be interrupted by Eight.

    “Hey, I was going easy on you,” said Eight, bouncing on his heels slightly. “If I brought you back with anything more than a couple bruises, Deuce would light me on fire. Or force me to listen to that one song of hers. Now that’s scary.”

    “Excuses,” Ace huffed amusedly, earning laughs from both Deuce and Eight.

    His lips curled in a grin, Eight shook his head and gave Ace a pat on the shoulder. “In all seriousness, I’m glad to see you’re doing better, Ace. Let me know if you want to train some more. I’m going to head up for a drink. See you guys in the classroom.”

    As the martial artist jogged away, Ace turned his attention to Rem, his brow furrowed slightly in wordless question. Squeezing his hand gently, Deuce looked back at the other girl. “Rem, are you okay?” Deuce questioned, verbalizing what she knew Ace was thinking. “If you need us to help…”

    “Oh, I...I’m fine,” replied Rem, putting up a small smile as she glanced at the couple’s entwined fingers. “I’m quite envious of you two, Deuce. You understand each other so well.”

    “Rem…”

    Taking a deep breath, Rem gave Deuce a grateful look. “Thank you for talking with me, Deuce. And I’m glad you’re feeling better, Ace. I should go finish my work now, so I’ll see you two later!”

    At that, Rem turned and scampered away before either Ace or Deuce could interject, leaving the couple to look worriedly at her retreating back. A moment of silence passed between the two as Rem disappeared from their sight before Ace cleared his throat and turned back to Deuce.

    “What was that about?”

    “She didn’t really say…”

    Letting out a deep sigh, Ace let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling Deuce against his side. “What did you two talk about then?”

    “She asked about how we were as children and how our relationship has changed,” answered Deuce, a smile pulling at her lips. “I told her we’ve always been comfortable with each other and that our relationship hasn’t changed all that much, even when we started dating.”

    A thoughtful look spread across Ace’s sharp features as he considered her words. Comfort was certainly a feeling he associated with Deuce. Even as a child, she was unerringly kind and gentle, especially when she held his hand. It was easy to be cold to the others, to push back when they pushed him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that to Deuce. And before he knew it, she had made her place in his heart. Little did he know that she had felt the same way.

    “Yeah, that’s true. I mean, outside of the romantic aspects and spending more time together, we’re still together in basically the same way,” Ace muttered, giving her a smirk. “You’re still holding my hand and climbing into my bed.”

    Giggling at his jest, Deuce gave him a light smack on the chest, though she couldn’t deny the truth of his statement. “Ace…”

    “Alright, you still make me happy whenever you’re around. That’s something too.”

    Though his words were teasing, his feelings were sincere. Deuce smiled, leaning into his embrace. “You still make me happy too, Ace.” She giggled once more, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a chill chapter before we hop back into the action. XD
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone!


	11. Before the End

    “Section 4 reports say that our forces have finished up in Judecca and are moving quickly into the Roshana province. They need to take Roshana before they can get to Rama and closer to Mahamayuri,” said Ace, setting the books and folders down on the table. “The city of Roshana is the capital of that province. They will have a large assembly of dracoknights there.”

    “That would be an issue. We don’t know how many are left after Judecca. Perhaps they won’t have enough to launch a full-scale counteroffensive?” Queen suggested. “But Central Command hasn’t considered that in their discussions as far as I know.”

    Ace sighed, sitting down in Cater’s seat next to Deuce. “I think they’re pushing the frontline too quickly. They know the swamps are going to wear them down, yet they still intend on advancing straight to Roshana. By the time they get to Roshana, the Concordians could have a larger force of dracoknights and dragons waiting for them. Tachinami agreed, but the Consortium isn’t so easily persuaded.”

    “Either they haven’t considered it or they’re confident that the Concordians won’t be able to gather a counteroffensive force large enough to face our vanguard.” Queen frowned, adjusting her glasses. “I’m inclined to believe the former with the Commandant continually pushing for our troops to advance.”

    “I suspect we need to be prepared to be sent in as the rearguard to Roshana,” muttered Ace, his shoulders slumped tiredly. “Let’s be ready for that. Can you arrange for the upgrade of some defensive spells and tools we can use as distractions?”

    Queen nodded dutifully. “I’ll put in the orders right now if there’s nothing else we need to discuss. Then I’ll be up in the Altocrystarium to work on those spells.”

    “Okay. I’ll take a look at the maps and see what we’re up against,” answered Ace, pulling out a map from the topmost book in his stack. “Naghi should be getting new reports later today.”

    “I’ll check in with you later tonight then.”

    With that, Queen turned on her heel and walked off, leaving Ace and Deuce alone in the classroom. Sighing once again, Ace sat back in the chair and let his head fall back, exhaustion written on his features. Worriedly, Deuce stood and leaned over him, their eyes meeting almost immediately once she placed a delicate hand against his cheek.

    “Are you okay, Ace?”

    “M’fine. Just tired of dealing with Central Command and everything,” he muttered, his eyes half-lidded as he looked up at her. “The work doesn’t stop these days.”

    Her gaze softening sympathetically, Deuce moved closer to him, her free hand gripping his shoulder before she climbed into his lap and hugged him. She could feel the coiled tension in his body unwind at her touch, his muscles relaxing as their chests pressed together and she weaved her hands into the back of his hair. Nose burrowing past her scarf, he nuzzled her neck and sighed contently, tickling her skin with his breath.

    “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked in his ear softly, sending a delightful shiver down his spine.

    In response, he simply wrapped his arms around her and basked in the feel of her body against his. Careful not to move too much in his hold, she shifted slightly to peck him on the side of the head and he mumbled in approval, his skin practically tingling with the warmth she provided. Perhaps he was overly sensitized when it came to her, but how else could one expect him to be in the presence of the woman he loved?

    After a few minutes, Ace sighed once more and pulled back from their intimate embrace, giving his girlfriend a grateful look. “You already do help me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

    “I meant with your work, but I’m happy to hear that,” Deuce murmured, a light blush on her cheeks from his words. “I’m not as smart as you or Queen, but I want to help lighten your load a bit…”

    “You do plenty. I swear I’d forget to eat some days if you didn’t stick food right in front of my face,” he remarked, the cheer slowly returning to his voice with his relaxed state. “And you keep me motivated...or distracted, as appropriate.”

    The last part of his statement made her blush deepen. She had certainly resorted to rather bold measures of keeping him relaxed as of late, both during the day when he was sitting at a desk and during his late nights when they were huddled in bed. While she was sure that he didn’t mind and in fact enjoyed her ‘distractions’, his teasing tone was far too suggestive to not elicit a reaction from her. Turning her pink face away from him, she considered her position.

    “Maybe I should go help Queen in the Altocrystarium?” she suggested meekly.

    “No, I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” he said with a low chuckle. “Your magic is great, but Queen can be difficult to work with when she’s trying to read from that book of hers. Trust me. There’s a reason I leave all that stuff to her now, as much as she could use an assistant.”

    Deuce frowned, concern written on her face. “Is there nothing I can do to help?”

    “You shouldn’t have to.” He entwined their fingers, giving her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. “This work is my responsibility as the leader, now more than ever. Every decision I make when we’re out there affects what happens on the mission. I won’t let you or anyone else in Class Zero down by making a wrong call because I wasn’t prepared.”

    She knew. This wasn’t the first time they had this conversation—though they usually had it in their bedroom while he laid restlessly under the covers with her curled up by his side. Aside from Queen, who worked closely with him every day, Deuce was the only one who knew about the burden Ace carried as class leader. While Queen might have been their ‘class president,’ Ace was, in essence and execution, their leader. Even when they had a commanding officer to give them orders, he was the one out there in the field with them, giving the rest of the class instructions on how to carry out the orders and making the most difficult decisions. Every victory, every defeat, every success, every setback—everything that happened on a mission was at least in part due to his leadership—and he took every failure hard.

    As she had done every time before when they had this conversation, she relented, nuzzling him gently and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Don’t overwork yourself, Ace. Your happiness matters too.”

    He gave her a small grin and caressed her cheek. “...I have you.”

    Heart fluttering at his simple yet meaningful response, she smiled and kissed him again, an unspoken promise that they would always be there for each other.

 

* * *

 

    “Leave none alive!”

    “Oh, stow it!” hissed Sice, firing a blast of lightning at the silver-clad dracoknight and sending him flying off the edge of the elevated town street. “It’s like there’s no end to them!”

    “Just concentrate on whoever shows up,” King rumbled as he quickly unloaded two clips into a passing wyvern. “We have a job here.”

    They were in Roshana, clear in the middle of Concordian territory, assisting with the retreat of dominion troops from the area. As Ace and Queen had predicted, the dominion forces had been worn down by the time they reached Roshana through the swamps of the region and the recently bolstered Concordian army stationed in the town had swiftly dealt the dominion a defeat. By the time Class Zero had arrived, the casualties had escalated and the legionaries present were largely in a panic.

    “This area is clear, Ace!” Trey reported, lowering his bow. “We should keep moving.”

    “Right. Let’s move!” ordered Ace, the others nodding obediently in response. “Mog said we’re getting active signals from over there. Fan out and search!”

    At that, the fourteen crimson-cloaked cadets split into their squads and carefully moved forward, weapons at the ready. Wary blue eyes scanning the suspiciously quiet area, Ace could feel the chill air of the Concordian town against his skin and he discreetly moved closer to Deuce. Seven and Jack were just a few paces ahead of the two of them, while the others were already further ahead.

    “Over here!” Eight’s voice rang out and the others turned toward the source, the martial artist standing on a path leading down to a lower platform. Looking down further to where Eight was pointing, Ace spotted the dull red of a legionary uniform crumpled on the ground in front of a building. Nearby, another legionary was splayed facedown on the platform, a pool of blood under his unmoving body.

    “Ace…” started Deuce, her gaze held on the first legionary. “I think she’s still alive. I—”

    “Hold on. Stay close. I’m right behind you,” he said in a low voice as they reached Seven and Jack, knowing her intent yet still cautious about their surroundings. “Something off about this place.”

    “It’s too quiet,” Seven observed. “I think we should group up again.”

    “Yeah,” agreed Ace, following Deuce down the path with Seven and Jack behind him.

    Letting out a loud, sharp whistle, Ace raised his free hand and gave the gesture to join up with his squad, the other cadets trained to understand the underlying meaning of his unspoken order. As soon as their squad reached the injured legionary, Deuce knelt down to examine the bloodied soldier.

    “H-Help me…” pleaded the legionary, voice unsteady and waning.

    Just then, a chorus of shrieking roars instantly surrounded the cadets, followed by the whoosh of large, scaled wings beating against the cold misty air, the telltale sounds of the dragons that Concordia deployed in their army. It was a trap and they had walked right into it.

    A swear on his lips, Ace grabbed Deuce by the waist and yanked her away from the legionary, teleporting backward as spewed blue flames shot down in the spot where they had just been standing. The two tumbled onto the hard ground meters away and Ace groaned as Deuce’s elbows made contact with his ribs. She gasped, alarm and apology written in her eyes as she rolled off him and placed her hands against his side.

    “I’m fine,” he grunted, grasping one of her hands before looking around. “Help the others.”

    Giving him a quick once-over, Deuce nodded and stood, her flute at her lips to fill the air with her supporting magic. Jack and Seven were already engaging the dracoknights that had seemed to appear out of nowhere, while Trey, King, Cater, and Queen struck back at the wyverns in the sky with arrows, bullets, and magic. Looking up toward the path they had come down on, Ace could see Eight, Sice, Cinque, Nine, Machina, and Rem forcibly pushing through the additional platoon of dracoknights that were advancing down on them.

    “Mog, it was a trap,” rasped Ace, rolling over to stumble back to his feet. “Warn the retreating forces to avoid our position.”

    “They left people alive to trick us?!” squeaked the voice of Moglin over the COMM. “Get out of there before you get trapped too!”

    “We’re working on it,” Ace responded, flicking one of his cards at an approaching wyvern.

    The card flitted through the air, making contact with the wyvern’s rider as it whipped through the gap in their neck armor and cut clean through their throat. With a choked scream, the rider jerked the wyvern’s reins and the two fell into the clouded abyss beneath the town. Ace grimaced at the sight and snatched the card out of the air as it returned to him.

    As much as Ace didn’t approve of them being caught in the Concordians’ trap, he couldn’t doubt the fighting prowess and effectiveness of his classmates. By the time he composed himself enough to look around, the others had taken down the enemy and were catching their breaths.

    “The path’s clear,” announced Eight, adjusting his combat gloves. “Figures it was a trap.”

    “That’s pretty low, using injured legionaries to bait us in,” Sice huffed, lifting her scythe onto her shoulder. “Concordian cowards.”

    “Well, we got through it,” said Ace with a shrug before his brow furrowed again. “Let’s head to the rendezvous point.”

    Minutes later, Class Zero found themselves at an intersection, the bridge leading toward the front gate of the town ahead and three streets of approaching Concordian troops around them. They watched as cadets and legionaries alike ran and stumbled across the bridge before turning to see a platoon of dracoknights rushing toward their location.

    “How is the retreat going, Mog?” Queen inquired, clutching her longsword.

    “That’s the last of our forces in town, kupo,” reported Moglin through the COMM. “Assist in their retreat, kupo!”

    “Five minutes!” implored a dominion tribune on the COMM. “We need five minutes to get the forces out! Class Zero, please buy us the time!”    

    “Block them off here! Trey, King, put up walls on those two gates!” barked Ace, hand clenched in front of him as his magic flared and a transparent barrier appeared to block off the street before him. “Squad B, hold the east gate! Squad C, the west! Squad D, the north! The rest of us will provide backup! Don’t let a single one of them through!”

    Moving into formation at Ace’s command, the teenagers raised their weapons, their five minute objective clear in their minds. Silently, Ace watched as the others moved into position: Eight, Machina, Cater, and Rem to the south gate; Nine, Queen, King to the west gate; Sice, Cinque, and Trey to the east gate; and Seven and Jack in front of him and Deuce. Eyes narrowing at the advancing dracoknights and their controlled monsters, he breathed in deep and let the magic in his body build.

    “Show no mercy!” yelled a dracoknight, rushing forward at Nine with his spear. “Charge!”

    “Keh, bring it on!” Nine scoffed as he caught the dracoknight’s spear with his own.

    It was a frenzy. Time itself seemed to slow for the cadets as they moved, training and honed reactions guiding them through the motions. Crimson mantles fluttering in the air, the young cadets held their ground, seamlessly moving around each other as necessary to engage their respective enemies and covering each other from enemy attacks, the culmination of years and months of living, learning, and training together. While the dracoknights of Roshana were well-trained as part of Concordia’s military, they were no Class Zero.

    “Heeeeey, this seems a little too easy,” drawled Jack, raising his katana from cutting clean through a Flan. “Doesn’t it?”

    “Stay focused,” said Ace firmly. “They may have dragons on the way.”

    “Oh, you’re right,” Jack sighed, sidestepping a spear thrown at him by a dracoknight. “Guess we shouldn’t slack off then…”

    “It may not the most difficult fight we’ve ever faced, but we can’t keep this up forever, Jack,” Seven chimed in before sending her chain whip through the unarmed dracoknight’s leg. “We need to prepare to disengage as soon as the troops have finished their retreat.”

    Nodding in agreement, Ace cut his deck of cards and sent a couple flying, taking out the monsters hovering above their group. His gaze wandered around the battlefield, watching closely as the others brought down the still charging enemies. Bodies of dracoknights and monsters alike littered the area, fluids of varying colors mottling the previously white ground of the town. As always, his gaze then drifted to Deuce just beside him, still playing away with her flute and filling the air with her dulcet and empowering tunes. He was careful to keep her nearby as much as possible now, ensuring that a repeat of his injury in Judecca was not in the cards.

    Just then, the heavy thumps of doublicorns charging in behind the dracoknights echoed through the area, even louder than Deuce’s music in his ears. He flinched as the barriers they created shattered, the large and bulky doublicorns, or demonicorns to the Concordians, smashing through the weakened magic with little trouble. With a roar, one charged toward them.

    “Fall back onto the bridge!” called out Ace, a burst of lightning erupting from his fingertips to stop the attacking doublicorn in its tracks. They had to funnel the monsters lest they find themselves surrounded by monsters with fangs far too large to be considered harmless. “Put up barriers to the sides!”

    Heeding his orders, the others followed him back toward the bridge, standing as the only obstacle between the Concordian forces and the fleeing dominion troops. As vulnerable as this position made them to air attacks, it was the most accessible spot to force the doublicorns to come at them one at a time and with their heavy hitters such as Cinque, Eight, Nine, and Jack in front and the rest of the group bombarding from behind them, the monsters wouldn’t stand a chance.

    The screeching roars of dragons swooping in toward them were almost expected when they came another minute later. Ace huffed quietly and whipped a card at the nearest dragon as Trey, King, and Cater began to fire at the other dragons. Just soon as they took care of the three closest dragons, another three swooped in and Ace sighed. They just had to hold out for a little longer.

    “The forces have completed their retreat out of the town, kupo!” chirped Moglin through the COMM as another platoon of dracoknights appeared at the intersection. “Get out of there!”

    “Roger that. Let’s move!” Ace ordered as his cards floated up in front of him and he breathed in deeply. “Take this!”

    His magic flaring, Ace brought his hands up and blasts of energy shot out from the cards, cutting through the advancing Concordian forces with three powerful beams. Screams filled the air and the few dracoknights that were not immediately struck by the magic stopped in their tracks, the burnt remnants of their companions’ bloodied corpses causing fear and uncertainty to enter their bodies and even their trained minds. They had little chance to decide what to do though, for their hesitation—as it often is in war—was their end, arrows and bullets peppering their uniformed forms as they fell.

    Taking advantage of the temporary absence of enemy forces, Class Zero moved through the southern gate, spotting a couple injured legionaries and cadets in the next area. It seemed the dominion forces had left them behind, deeming them too injured to be saved. Bodies splayed across the ground and against the walls surrounding the town’s platforms, the death toll for this military mistake was high.

    “Do you think they can be saved?” inquired Seven quietly, turning to Ace and Deuce. The three of them were walking behind the rest of Class Zero as they approached a platform with multiple wounded legionaries and cadets. “Their injuries must be incredibly severe for the dominion to leave them behind.”

    “Maybe. But we don’t have much time to try if they can be,” Ace said a sigh, watching Queen bend down to examine a barely conscious legionary ahead of them. “We’re not out of here yet.”

    His gaze shifted to Deuce, who had bent down next to a tall, lanky dominion legionary lying on the ground, several large gashes across the torso spilling blood onto the white stone of the ground. “Take me with you,” he rasped, reaching out with a trembling hand. “Please, take me with you!”

    Nearby, King paused in his path, his face set in aloofness as usual, as a brunette cadet wearing a yellow-green mantle—a member of Class Fifth that they had likely seen in the hallways of Akademeia— grabbed at the shin of his white uniform pants. She had no visible wounds, though she was clearly incapacitated. “Wait! Someone, please! Help me, please!” she pleaded weakly, her grip failing almost instantly. “Help…”

    “Dragons approaching!” announced Trey, his eyes focused on the horizon behind them.

    “Ace, we should move,” Queen said, her usually calm voice faltering ever-so-slightly as she stood. “We can’t help or get them out before the enemy reinforcements arrive.”

    “Yeah…” Ace heaved another sigh, nodding in agreement. “Class Zero, move out!”

    As the others began to move toward the town exit, Ace turned to look at the wounded once more. Perhaps it was cruel to leave all these fellow countrymen behind, but what choice did they have? Most of them would be dead by the time the Concordians arrived. Still, if they had been a little faster, maybe some of them could have been saved. He had the strange feeling that this sentiment wasn’t a new one, although he couldn’t remember when or where he had felt it.

    Just then, a bloodied hand fell on his left shoulder and he turned to see a legionary lowering their hand and gasping for breath. “Looks like they...got me,” coughed the legionary, his body partially burnt from dragonfire and the gash in his side bleeding freely. It was a wonder how he was still standing, let alone talking.

    Ace’s eyes widened at the familiar voice. The legionary had been a frequent visitor at Akademeia, since even before the war started according to other cadets, his long-persisting crush on one of the commanding officers a common source of gossip among the student body. In fact, it was this crush that drove the legionary to ask Class Zero for favors whenever they met. “Tokito?”

    “Hey...sorry...I have...one last request…” Re-adjusting his stance, Tokito gritted his teeth and reached into the unburnt pocket of his legionary uniform. Carefully, he pulled out a folded piece of stationary and held it out for Ace to take. “Please...take this. Take it to Emina for me...please...”

    “I will, Tokito,” Ace promised, taking the letter and placing it into his satchel. “Don’t worry.”

    “Thank...you…you Class Zero kids...really are...the best.” Tokito stumbled back against the wall behind him, the white stone quickly staining red under his body. “Wow, not good…”

    Sparing Tokito one last look, Ace furrowed his brow before turning to follow the rest of Class Zero, his memories of the legionary fading with every step he took. Such was the nature of their world and this war. A dull sense of déjà vu flickered in the back of his mind and he swallowed the lump in his throat, unsure of why he felt like he did.

    By the time he reached the others, his mind had refocused on the mission in the absence of the memories that held the legionary. They were moving into the outskirts of Roshana, the mist-filled marshy land as much an obstacle to them as the enemies that were pursuing them. Just as the town disappeared from their view behind them, the beeping of the COMM drew their attentions.

    “Allied units will get past the enemy by going through the forest,” said a Dominion COMM officer on their earpieces. “Class Zero, buy some time until all units have escaped.”

    “Understood,” responded Queen before tapping off her microphone and turning to Ace. “How should we proceed then?”

    Taking a deep breath, Ace drew one of his cards and idly flipped it in his fingers as he surveyed the area. “They’ll be in pursuit on dragons. There’s no way we can force them into a choke point in this open field. If they wanted to, they could fly right over us. We’ll need to draw their fire and keep them here to protect the dominion forces.”

    “So you’re saying we need to make a big commotion and keep their attention on us here?” Jack asked, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Sounds hard...”

    “We’ll manage.” Ace took a step toward the center of the field, nudging a rock with the toe of his shoe before looking toward the sky. “Trey, King, Cater, and I will draw their attention to us. The rest of you be ready to engage as soon as they come into range.”

    As expected, they could hear the shrieks and roars of dragons approaching soon after. The wild dragons of Concordia were difficult to deal with as they were, their scaled armor and fiery breath a natural deterrent for most warriors. However, the trained dragons in the Concordian army were that and more, especially with their riders giving them instructions. Moving into their preferred positions, the teenagers braced themselves for the inevitable attacks.

    Suddenly, raspy croaks and hisses filled the air, louder and closer than the sounds of the advancing dragons. Through the mist, they could see the sinewy forms of multiple Dracobaltians crawl out from the boggy terrain, gleaming teeth and matted hair more pronounced against the darker setting of Concordia’s swampy fields. His muscles tensing at the gutteral sounds, Ace raised his cards and took a deep breath as Deuce took a small step closer to him. The two of them exchanged knowing yet concerned looks. They hadn’t expected to ever see those monsters again after Judecca.

    “You’ve gotta be kidding me…” grumbled Cater from her spot between Ace and King. “These things again?”

    “We need to focus on the Concordian forces,” Ace stated, sharp eyes shifting to survey the swamps beyond their little field. “There doesn’t seem to be that many of those monsters for now. Eight, Seven, Rem, and Machina, engage them and keep them out past the borders of this field. Call if you need backup. The rest of you, stick with the plan.”

    “You got it,” replied Eight, pounding his fists together lightly with a huff before jogging forward toward the creatures.

    “I’ll do my best,” Rem said, her daggers firmly in hand as she went after Eight, a silent Machina following close behind her.

    Her facial expression contorted in concern, Seven gave Ace a firm nod. “Be careful, all of you.”

    It was hard not to be worried. They must have been fighting for almost an entire afternoon between forcing their way through the forests to Roshana and serving as the rearguard for the retreating dominion forces. Class Zero may have been specially trained for battle, but they were still subject to the very human limitations of their bodies. The exhaustion was practically etched onto each of their faces and yet still, they had no choice but to continue fighting.

    “Over there!”

    Trey’s call drew the attention of the others upward, where the dark forms of the Concordian army dragons flying toward them could be seen against the clouds. After spotting the enemy, Trey, King, and Cater instantly took aim, the glow of Trey’s held magic arrow dulled by the thick mist surrounding them. The first attack had to be perfect lest they miss their opportunity to attract the attention of the Concordian army and fail the rest of the dominion forces.

    “Dominion forces below!” cried out one of the dracoknights from atop his dragon.

    “Fire!” ordered Ace, whipping his cards into the air once the leading dragon flew just above them. “Take them out!”

    Explosions rang out in the air as their attacks made contact, the dragons’ formation broken instantly in the wake of the magic blasts and shots that interrupted their flight and brought their leader tumbling to the ground. A brief moment of chaos and panic swept over the dracoknights before their dragons regained their bearings and steadied their flight.

    “Eliminate them!” yelled another dracoknight, directing his dragon downward in a dive at the crimson-caped cadets. “Show no mercy!”

    There wasn’t any room for error. Between the Dracobaltians around them and the dragons coming in on top of them, they were pinned down with no backup available. His gaze darting around the battlefield, Ace kept close watch on the battle as he continuously caught and tossed his cards at the enemy. In the background of Deuce’s flute playing and the dragons roaring, he could hear the sounds of Eight, Seven, Machina, and Rem fighting off the Dracobaltians around them, though their forms were hazy in the misty distance. It would be over soon, one way or another.

    Spotting one of the dragons still in the air rear up as if to use its breath attack, Ace gave a short huff and summoned a wall to block the lightning blasts the dragon spewed. The magical wall cracked under the force of the blasts and he hissed, feeling the recoil in his magic as he tried to force it to hold.

    “Get down!” called out King as yet another one of the dragons dived and swooped in at the group, quickly unloading two clips into the dragon and its rider as soon as they passed over him.

    The dragon crashed to the ground, kicking up plumes of dirt and dust as it skid across the marshy land. Almost instantly, another dragon flew into view to attack them. They had taken out a good number of the dragons with the initial attack, but there were still many to face. Dragons and other monsters were the bulk of the Concordian forces, after all.

    After what must have been minutes later, the area was littered with the corpses of dragons and dragon riders. They could barely see the thin, scaly bodies of the dragons through the mist and against the dark-colored land, but knew there had to be a significant chunk of the forces in Roshana there. The retreating dominion forces wouldn’t have stood a chance against all of the dragons around.

    Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Ace pulled out a bottle of ether from his satchel and splashed it onto Deuce before tossing another to Queen nearby. The others followed suit, briskly using their healing items and taking a couple deep breaths before they had to jump back into the battle.

    “Use the rest of our supplies if you need to!” Ace instructed as he smashed another bottle of ether in his hand to let the replenishing liquid permeate into his body. “We need to keep holding this position!”

    “Right!”

    Dust and smoke mixed with musty air and the cacophony of rapid gunshots, explosive magic, and shrill screeches burned in their ears. They moved as quickly and as fluidly as their wearying bodies could manage, relying on their training and each other to fight off the enemy. There was barely enough time to breathe, let alone think or do anything beyond reacting instinctively.

    And then, all of the sudden, the air was silent. Breathing heavily, the teenagers looked to the sky and then at each other, faces a mix of fatigued confusion and relief. Their ears ringing slightly from the battle, they could only faintly hear the sounds of turrets firing high above them and the retreating cries of the remaining dragon-mounted forces.

    “Attention Class Zero. All allies have successfully withdrawn...and the dominion’s main army has forced the Concordians to retreat,” announced the Dominion COMM Officer on their COMM system. “An airship should be picking you up shortly.”

    “Good news for the first time today,” King rumbled dryly, taking a knee as he dematerialized his revolvers and paying no mind to the muck that would inevitably get on his pants. “We can rest.”

    “About...time…” huffed Cater, putting a hand on King’s shoulder to steady herself. “Stupid troops, taking their sweet time…”

    Letting out a sharp breath, Ace turned his head to look at Deuce, who gave him a tired yet reassuring smile. Delicately, she moved to lean against his side and rest her head against his shoulder, sighing contently as he wrapped an arm around her waist and began to survey their surroundings—ever the vigilant leader. He watched as Eight, Seven, Rem, and Machina slowly made their way back to the rest of the group, the four clearly as exhausted as everyone else, if not more.

    “Is everyone okay?” Seven managed to ask between deep breaths.

    “Seems like it,” Ace answered, pausing at the sound of whirring engines growing louder above them. “Time to go home.”

    An airship landed at the edge of the field they were standing in and a dark-skinned female tribune walked out, reaching Queen in a few, long strides. “I see you survived.”

    “Were you the one who mobilized the main force?” inquired Queen, adjusting her glasses.

    The tribune blinked. “Me?”

    “If you hadn’t come back after the retreat was completed, there’s no way we would be here right now,” Queen said in way of explanation, earning a shrug from the tribune.

    “I didn’t do it for you. My men got away. My job was finished, so I joined the main force for a second attack—that’s all,” the tribune responded. “Besides, I believe in repaying my debts as soon as I can. We’re at war—I don’t know which day will be my last.”

 

* * *

 

    Rolling his shoulders, Ace took a deep breath and yawned. The mission had taken its toll on all of them, enticing them to retreat into their bedrooms earlier than usual that evening. In truth, he wouldn’t be surprised if they all slept clear through the morning. At the very least, he would be content to rest for the next day, preferably with Deuce by his side.

    He was standing at his desk, waiting patiently for Deuce to finish her shower and mentally taking stock of the items he needed to replace in his satchel. Most of his supplies had been used up during their last battle in the outskirts of Roshana. Carefully, he placed his ornate deck of cards on the table before reaching into the satchel once more.

As he pulled out a potion, a folded, slightly bloodied piece of paper slid out of the bag and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. He didn’t remember putting any paper into his satchel before the mission or bleeding on it for that matter. “What is this…?”

    Warily, he unfolded the paper, instantly noticing the scratchy yet passably legible handwriting that made up its contents. It wasn’t his handwriting, or anyone else’s that he could recognize even. Squinting slightly, he read the first line.

    “My dearest Emina…”

    So it was a letter or note of sorts, addressed to Emina Hanaharu, one of the more well-known tribunes in Akademeia. The members of Class Zero had met her on more than one occasion, having been charged by Sorcery to investigate her possible status as a Militesi spy. They had yet to come up with anything particularly incriminating though. She was pleasant enough in Ace’s opinion, from the few times that he had met her, but he wasn’t a fan of how flirty—for lack of a better word—she was. While Nine and Jack enjoyed her coquetry, Ace simply felt awkward and uncomfortable around her.

    Ace’s eyes widened as he read. The letter spoke of a deep seated love stemmed from admiration of the female tribune, one that the writer knew couldn’t be reciprocated and yet couldn’t help but desire. Though the words they used weren’t the most elegant, it was obvious the writer felt passionately about Emina and their love for her, even confessing that they had never experienced such feelings and that they wanted to be with her forever. Ace couldn’t help but give a small smile at that. It wasn’t all that long ago that he had felt the same emotions himself toward Deuce.

    As he came to the bottom of the letter, Ace let out a long sigh. There was a sense of tragedy strung through the scrawled sentences at the end, as if the writer, Tokito, had known he wouldn’t see Emina again and regretted not being able to solidify his relationship with her and bring her happiness. Something about that shook Ace to his core.

    All of the sudden, a pair of warm hands against the bare skin of his back pulled Ace out of his thoughts. His room was warm that evening from the summer heat and he had foregone wearing his usual nightshirt. Tearing his gaze away from the letter, Ace turned to look over his shoulder at Deuce, who was starting to lightly trace the muscular lines on his back with a fascinated look on her face.

    “Deuce, you’re acting like you’ve never seen me shirtless before,” he remarked with a snicker. “Maybe I should do this more often to get you used to it?”

    “Mmm, I don’t think I would mind,” admitted Deuce, her face slightly pink.

    Whether the color on her cheeks was from the heat of the shower or the room or his suggestion, Ace couldn’t be sure. Setting the letter facedown on top of his satchel, he watched as Deuce ran the tips of her fingers down his spine and then across the few scars he had on his back. Her touch was so feather-light and warm, he could swear she had the touch of an angel—not that he would say such a cheesy thing out loud.

    “I could lay down if you want to examine my back more,” he teased, giving her a smirk.

    As if suddenly realizing how strange her behavior must have seemed to him, Deuce startled slightly and looked back up at him. “O-Oh! I’m sorry...I just-I didn’t realize you had so many scars. I suppose I’ve never taken the time to really look at your back when we…”

    He turned, sliding his arms around her waist as her hands met his chest. “Well, we’re fighting a war. A couple scars here and there are inevitable,” he said dryly, one of his hands sliding under her top to touch a scar he knew she had on her side. Then he paused. “...Are you wearing my shirt?”

    The black tank top was a little oversized on her, but an odd sense of possessive pride rose in his chest at the sight. He liked the way his shirt looked on her.

    “I was wondering when you’d notice,” she giggled. “You left it in the bathroom, so…”

    “Ah. Yeah, well...it was really warm in there, so I decided not to wear it,” he answered sheepishly. “Looks good on you though.”

    “You don’t mind?”

    Chuckling, he picked up her by the waist and strode over to set her on his bed before climbing in next to her. “Just make sure you leave enough clothes for me to wear if you’re going to take my clothes. I don’t think the others would appreciate me being...less than properly clothed. But you might get some funny looks from them.”

    “We would certainly raise some eyebrows,” she murmured with a soft laugh, trailing her fingers across his collarbone. “But they already assume much…”

    “Let them assume.”

    With that, he set a hand on her waist and leaned down to kiss her. Her fingers curled against his bare chest as he pressed their lips together hard, causing a flicker of heated passion to spark in their bellies. She hummed in delight, quickly pecking his lips again as he pulled away slightly to adjust his position over her.

    “I thought you would be too tired tonight,” she mumbled breathlessly, sliding a hand into the back of his hair. “You said you wanted to sleep for an entire day.”

    “I still kind of want to. But you’re too wonderful to deny,” he retorted, the impish grin on his face softening into a sincere one. “You make me feel…”

    His mind pulled back to the bloodied letter on his desk and he swallowed hard at the emotions that welled up. He knew it was hard enough to explain without worrying her. The words escaping him for the moment, he gave her an apologetic look. A warm, knowing expression making its way onto her face, she placed her hand against his cheek gently. “I think I understand.”

    “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, back again with the beginning of the end. It's starting to get hard to find time to write these days. XP
> 
> On a side note, I'm really not a fan of that last part in the Retreat of Roshana where you have to fight off the dragoneers and the Dracobaltians in a tiny field. XD


	12. Decisions, Decisions

    “So what am I supposed to do here?”

    Deuce suppressed a giggle as Ace gave her a confused yet endearing look. The two of them were in front of her vanity mirror, him standing behind her seat with a lock of her hair in his right hand and a brush in his left. She had caught him staring at her while she went about her morning hair brushing and had teased him about it. To her delight, he had volunteered to help her in order to learn more about her morning routine and to satisfy his own curiosity. He had managed brushing her hair perfectly fine, but tying her hair up was another matter entirely.

    “I can take care of it, Ace,” she said, touching the hand he had in her hair lightly. His hand went slack at her touch, letting the strands of hair fall from his fingers. “I don’t want to keep you too long. You have errands to run this morning. I’ll teach you another time.”

    “But…” He seemed reluctant, not wanting to leave the job unfinished.

    “You’ve already made me so happy brushing my hair for me.” She turned her head to look at him adoringly and reached her hand up to pat his jaw and soothe him. “Please don’t worry. We can always do this again. But you shouldn’t keep Mother waiting.”

    Ace sighed. “You’re right,” he conceded, hanging his head slightly. “I’ll see you later then.”

    Standing, she placed a kiss on his cheek and then smiled before she pecked him on the lips. “Mmm, I’ll see you in the classroom. I love you.”

    “Love you too, Deuce,” he responded, slyly putting his hand on her back and pulling her in for one more kiss. She giggled as they parted, tapping his cheek playfully as if to scold him for delaying his departure. “...Okay, okay! I’m going now.”

    Smiling to himself as he walked out of Deuce’s room, Ace breathed in deeply and stretched, turning to make his way toward the Sorcery Department. As much as he would have liked to stay and watch her, he had some important tasks to take care of, several of which had to do with her, in fact.

    Everyone in Class Zero knew Ace was not an impulsive guy, prone to contemplating any decision for as long as he deemed necessary, especially impactful ones. That’s why they trusted him to lead them on missions. Though sometimes he let his emotions get the best of him, he was a thinker by nature and so, was constantly thinking.

    Recently, he had been mulling over the same couple thoughts for months, the longest he had ever considered anything. He had found his relationship with Deuce coming to the forefront of his mind whenever it wasn’t occupied with things related to the war. But something recent that he couldn’t really even remember had shaken him to his core and he felt a certain urge to give Deuce more than being her boyfriend. Of course, he knew now that he loved her deeply, even though when she had first asked him to spend more time with her, he had just been confused and had even almost lost his chance with her. Unfortunately, being the only couple in Class Zero also meant that he had no one to reference. He tried his best with his intuition with Deuce and a couple books he had found in the Crystarium, but he feared that those wouldn’t suffice for what was next.

    When he could, he had observed the couples in Akademeia when he was walking around. But, he was convinced their relationship ran deeper than any of the ones he had seen, those boyfriends and girlfriends in both Akademeia and the military who flirted and then dated and engaged in pleasurable activities when they could get away with it. Yes, many of them were also classmates, comrades-in-arms, just as he and Deuce were. But they weren’t raised under the same roof, under the same Mother, with the same ragtag bunch of pseudo-siblings. He was sure almost none of those couples had been together for as long as they could remember.

    That’s why he was going to see Dr. Arecia, the one person he had always been able to count on to tell him what he needed to know. Strangely, his and Deuce’s relationship had not come as a surprise to the archsorceress. They had gone to tell her about a month after they had officially began dating and she had merely smiled amusedly. Thankfully, she seemed happy for them.

    “You’re up rather early, darling,” remarked Dr. Arecia, looking up from the book in her hands. “I was going to go check up on you later today, but since you’re here, we may as well do it now.”

    “Yes, Mother.” Ace sat down on the reclining chair, silent as the archsorceress scanned him.

    After a moment, she nodded in approval. “You’re as healthy as ever,” said Dr. Arecia, turning to pick up her pipe from her desk. “Now then, darling, what did you need?”

    “Well…”

 

* * *

 

    “A trip to Iscah?” chirped Cinque quizzically. “Are we going shopping, Queenie?”

    Queen stood at the front of the class with Moglin floating beside her, several papers in her hands. Ace leaned forward in his chair, idly flipping one of his cards in his hand. The others sat in their respective seats, the usual setup for their class meetings, with Machina present for once.

    “Yes, that is an option, Cinque. Seeing as how we’ve successfully completed the campaign in Concordia, we’ve decided that a day out was in order. The Consortium of Eight has yet to decide on battle plans, but we anticipate that those will be issued within the next two days,” explained Queen. “Therefore, our window of opportunity is today and tomorrow. We’ll be taking the airship out to Iscah this morning, which will allow us to stay for the night market and then return early tomorrow afternoon. Ace and I have made the arrangements already. The mayor of Iscah will be there to greet us.”

    “We’ll be staying at the inn, courtesy of the mayor. Ask Queen for your room assignments,” added Ace, standing up slowly. “And the airship leaves at 1100 hours. Assemble at the dock at 1045 hours. Don’t be late.”

    As the others dispersed to prepare, Deuce stood from her seat and walked over to Ace’s side, grasping his arm. “Are you okay?” she questioned, rubbing his forearm soothingly. “You seem a bit… distracted.”

    “I’m okay,” he assured her, a small grin on his lips as he turned to her. “…We’ll be together tonight. I reserved a room for just the two of us.”

    Timidly, she smiled and nodded. “I can’t wait.”

    “Well, I’m sure all the shopping opportunities in Iscah will keep you occupied until then,” he quipped. “You and the other girls can have a lot of fun there.”

    “You’re not going to shop with us?” Deuce tilted her head confusedly. Iscah was largely rebuilt since they wrested the city back from the empire, but there were hardly any other attractions other than the shopping at the moment. “You will be with us, won’t you?”

    Sheepishly, Ace brought his free hand up and scratched the side of his jaw. “Actually, part of the reason Queen and I chose Iscah is that I have some business to take care of there. I should be done by dinnertime, but I won’t be with you for the afternoon. Sorry.”

    “A mission?”

    “Yeah. I was meaning to deal with it earlier, but…”

    “Hmm…you’re really busy,” murmured Deuce disappointedly, leaning against his shoulder. “I thought we could…should I come on the mission with you?”

    With a small sigh, Ace patted the hand she had on his arm. “No, not this time. Don’t worry, I’ll have Eight and King with me. You should enjoy yourself with the others. I should be there for the night market. We can shop together then,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll give you some gil for the afternoon and you can buy whatever you’d like.”

    “You don’t have to do that!”

    “But I want to. I want you to be able to treat yourself every once in awhile,” he answered. A mischievous smirk made its way onto his face and he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Besides…”

    “Ace, can you come over and take a look at this itinerary?” Queen called out.

    Pulling away, Ace gave Deuce an adoring grin and grasped her hand. “Go ahead and pack. Grab the backpack from my closet. I’ll join you as soon as I’m done here.” He kissed the back of her hand briefly before walking off, leaving her pink in the cheeks both from what he had said and his increasingly bold acts of affection in front of the others.

    Her heart pitter-pattering as she made her way back toward the dorms, Deuce smiled to herself at the thought of buying something for Ace while they were in Iscah. They rarely gave each other gifts, preferring to simply spend time together. It wasn’t like they had much time between training, studying, and going on missions to go shopping anyway. This trip would be a nice break.

    There was also the thought of being able to share a bed with him once more. Before Ace had gotten injured in Judecca, she had begun to contemplate taking the next step with him physically. They had certainly gotten quite close at times, but he had always stopped out of consideration for her. He would say that he wasn’t ready either, yet the heated look in his eyes and the deep calming breaths he needed to take to stay in control made her think otherwise. After all, he was a seventeen-year-old male. Hormones and emotions coursed strong and hard in any such a man, especially when it came to the woman he loved.

    It wasn’t as though she had any qualms about him, nothing of that sort. In fact, she was sure that he was the only one for her, the only one she would be willing to engage in such acts with. Rather, it was all the anxious and nervous thoughts that accompanied the idea of making love with him that swirled around inside her. Aside from the fundamentals they were required to learn in basic health courses and a blasé explanation from Dr. Arecia to all of the children (what a lecture that had been), she had no idea what was supposed to happen or how to make it pleasurable. And she didn’t want to disappoint him in any way.

    Gathering a change of clothes from her dresser and some toiletries from her bathroom, she brought the items into Ace’s room and dropped them on the bed. She wandered over to his closet and opened the door, the contents neat and organized as was normal of Ace. Her thoughts still swimming in her head, she pulled out a leather backpack from Ace’s closet, turning it upside down to empty of it of any stray items before setting it next to the bed. With a sigh, she sat down and began to fold her clothing.

    Maybe she needed to ask him. Oh, it was such an embarrassing thing to ask! Surely he’d prefer to take the initiative? He had said he didn’t want to force her though. In that case, he wouldn’t press the issue no matter how much he wanted it. That was the kind of wonderful, caring guy he was. But she wanted to take that step with him! She loved him so much.

    “Thinking about something?”

    Deuce squeaked, jumping slightly as she was pulled abruptly out of her thoughts. The panties she had been folding dropped from her hands and onto the floor. Ace glanced down, his eyebrow raising at the blue and white striped underwear before he turned to her. She was flushed bright pink and frozen in her position, unsure of what to do.

    “Sorry for startling you,” he muttered amusedly, bending down to pick up her panties. Calmly, he folded the underwear and placed it in the backpack, then turned to pull his own clothes out of his dresser. “What’s on your mind?”

    “Umm…it’s…well, I…oh…” she stammered, burying her burning face in her hands. “I just…”

    “Hey, you can tell me anything,” he assured her in a quiet, soothing voice, gently pulling her hands away from her face and bending down on one knee to give her a comforting look. “Go ahead.”

    “It’s…it’s too embarrassing!”

    At this statement, his eyebrows shot up in surprise and he smirked. “Is that so? Well, I really want to know now.”

    “Y-You’re making fun of me!”

    “I’m sorry,” he chuckled, standing up and bending over to cage her between his arms. “I can’t resist. You are exceptionally cute when you’re blushing.”

    His words and close proximity only served to deepen her blush. “A-Ace…!”

    Sighing lightly, Ace slid his arms around her in a loose hold. “Okay, if you really don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. But I’ll always be willing to help if you need me, okay?”

    “O-Okay,” she managed to stutter out, slowly wrapping her arms around him and allowing him to pull her to her feet as he straightened up. “Thank you…”

    How was it that he so often managed to do and say just the right thing to her? She could feel the anxiety and embarrassment melting away, replaced by warmth and love, and in response, she burrowed further into his hug. His arms tightened comfortably around her and he pressed a kiss to her hair. He was really the most perfect man in all of Orience, Deuce thought as she reveled in the warmth of his embrace. And he was hers, as she was his.

 

* * *

 

    “I can’t believe Ace gave you 10,000 gil to spend!” exclaimed Cater, waving her hands excitedly. “You’re so lucky, Deuce!”

    The girls stood in the main entrance of Iscah’s inn, huddled around a blushing Deuce. Ace and the other boys had departed moments ago, leaving the seven girls to chatter excitedly about their afternoon. In her hand, Deuce held a small bag heavy with coins, given to her by Ace along with a gentle hug and a kiss on the forehead that left her flushed a rosy pink.

    “What’re ya gonna buy, Deucey?” Cinque questioned curiously.

    “Oh, I must buy something nice for Ace,” said Deuce, fiddling with the edge of her cape embarrassedly. “He is so very wonderful to me. But I don’t know what he would like.”

    “I’m sure he’d be very happy with anything you get him,” Rem commented knowingly. “We can look around. Maybe something will catch your eye.”

    Queen adjusted her glasses, nodding in agreement. “Alright, everyone, do take care to enjoy your shopping responsibly. We will be meeting the boys for dinner at 1830 hours. Seven and I have some tasks to attend to, so we’ll meet you all in the central square before dinner.”

    “Don’t get into trouble,” added Seven, shooting a pointed look at Sice and Cinque.

    On the other edge of town, Ace, Eight, King, and Nine walked out of Iscah’s main gate, each leading a chocobo by the reins. They had left Trey and Jack to both keep an eye on the brooding Machina and to maintain a presence in town so that the girls didn’t question their whereabouts. While they were sure Machina wouldn’t get into any major trouble, they had been curious as to what the boy would do by himself in such a commercialized city.

    “So where the hell are we going, huh?” asked Nine. “Queen sure didn’t tell me anything other than ‘you’re going to go with Ace and the others when we get to Iscah.’”

    “Meroë.” Ace climbed onto his chocobo, prompting the others to do the same. “We should hurry. We only have a few hours.”

    Clearing his throat, King turned to Ace. “Perhaps you should enlighten Eight and Nine as to why we’re here,” suggested the older boy. He had been there that early morning when Ace walked into the classroom and asked Queen and Seven to help set up this trip and had offered his help as well, much to the gratefulness of the card wielder.

    “We need to retrieve some materials from the caverns near there,” responded Ace, clenching his fingers around the reins to his chocobo. “Just consider it a mission.”

    “So…the Bethnel Caverns near Meroë?” Eight shot Ace an amused look. “I think I know where this is going…”

    At the martial artist’s teasing expression, Ace shrunk slightly with a mild blush on his face. He, Eight, and Deuce had gone to the Bethnel Caverns a couple days before the Battle at Judecca to retrieve Diamond Ore so that some legionary could have a ring crafted for his crush. As far as they knew, the Bethnel Caverns were the only place in the dominion where precious ores like that could be found. Naturally, the caverns were also filled with dangerous Behemoths. Ace had originally planned to go to the caverns alone, but Queen and Seven had convinced him that idea was far too risky, especially after he had just recovered from his injuries during the Concordian campaign, and he had reluctantly agreed. It meant he would have to put up with the other boys’ jests though.

    “I don’t get it,” grumbled Nine, scratching his head. “But I guess it’s better than shopping.”

    “We’re getting ore from the Bethnel Caverns so that Ace can have a ring made,” King explained bluntly. “For Deuce, obviously.”

    Nine blinked in surprise. “S-Seriously, yo? That’s pretty quick. You in that deep already?”

    “You’re really sure about this,” Eight remarked, his chocobo stepping up alongside Ace’s. “You’ve been thinking about it for a while now, haven’t you?”

    “Yeah.” Ace smiled serenely to himself. “It’s…not just an infatuation or a…a temporary thing. I love her. I know that for sure. And I’m ready to take this step.”

    The other three boys grinned at this admission, chuckling with cheerfulness at their friend’s decision. Ace reddened slightly, but he could feel the genuine happiness that his pseudo-brothers had for him. After all, as much as they teased each other, they were still basically family.

    “Well, we gotta get lover-boy his stuff then, yea?” Nine said. “Let’s get going, yo!”

    With that, the four flicked the reins on their chocobos and rode off into the field.

 

* * *

 

    Hours later, Deuce set down her shopping bags at the foot of the bed inside the room that she and Ace were sharing. The afternoon had been fun with Cinque, Rem, Cater, and Sice, going around to each of the shops, but she wished Ace could have been there to enjoy it with her. There was still a half an hour before they had to meet in the central square and the girls had come back to the inn to rest until then.

    She sat down, her eyes wandering down to the shopping bags, all unassuming brown, white, or red. They had managed to find a bookstore and an accessory shop, where she had bought Ace an interesting-looking fantasy novel, a new belt, and a decorative chocobo statue for his room. To her embarrassment, the other girls had also convinced her to buy some clothing for her new venture with Ace and she, for whatever reason, had.

    “Deuce?”

    Turquoise eyes snapping upward, Deuce saw the very man she had been thinking of standing in the entranceway of their room. Ace blinked, having clearly not expected to see her when he walked in.

    “You’re back!” Deuce cried out, sliding off of the bed and jogging over to embrace him.

    “Whoa!” Ace caught her in his arms, shutting the door with his foot as he returned her hug. “Yeah, we just got back in. You’re done shopping?”

    Deuce nodded against his collarbone. “I bought some gifts for you!” She breathed him in and her nose wrinkled at a scent she hadn’t expected. He smelled a bit muskier than usual, like he had been in a dank cave all afternoon, and the faint smell of chocobo was still on him. “Where did you go for the mission?”

    “Meroë,” he replied, pulling away from her to wash his hands and face in the sink. “We had to take chocobos there to make it back in time. The mission was a success, of course.”

    “That’s good,” she murmured, her eyes drifting back to the bags on the floor. “I…umm…I hope you like the gifts I got…”

    Pulling a towel off the rack to dry his washed face, Ace glanced at her. As expected, Deuce was nervously fidgeting with the edge of her cape. She really was so emotionally honest, but that was one thing he found so cute about her. Swiftly, he wiped his face and stepped over to her, bringing his hand up to tilt her chin up and look her in the eyes. “You didn’t have to get me anything, you know. As long as you’re happy, that’s all I need.”

    “I wanted to!” she insisted. “You’re always so kind to me…and I love you, so…”

    Ace smiled, sitting down at the foot of the bed and pulling her down next to him. No matter how many times she said that, he’d still feel elated and on top of the world whenever she spoke those words. “Thank you. I hope you still bought something you wanted though.”

    “I did…” She nestled against him, entwining their hands. “It was a very nice afternoon.”

    “Good.” He curled his left arm around her and pulled her closer. “I’m glad to hear that.”

    They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s warmth and presence. Savoring the intimacy of their interlocked hands, Ace stroked her hand with his thumb contently. Bashfully, Deuce tilted her head up to press her lips against his cheek briefly, causing him to look at her inquisitively with a slight blush on his face.

    “I-It’s nothing…” she said to his wordless question. “I missed you this afternoon. That’s all.”

    “I missed you too.”

 

* * *

 

    The evening with the others was energetic and noisy, as usual. They had gone to the fanciest restaurant that Iscah had to offer, thanks to the mayor of Iscah. The exhilaration and lack of duties had made the teenagers more their age than they had been for a long time. Somehow the mayor had managed to find time to join them as well, offering and then toasting them with a rich wine that he had imported. Nine and Jack had drunk themselves into a happy, giddy state, the two laughing loudly at just about anything anyone had to say, while the girls spoke enthusiastically about the shopping they had done during the afternoon and recalled a few funny events in great detail for the boys.

    At the mayor’s behest, they had then gone onto the night market, where there was even more food and drinks to be had. The air was filled with the shouts of both vendors and guests, the music of various instrumentalists in the main square, and the smell of all the goods around. King, Eight, and Sice had gone around sampling all the food in sight with Trey giving them a thorough explanation on each (much to Sice’s annoyance), while Cinque, Cater, and Seven had marveled at the numerous accessories and charms being sold. Queen, ever the responsible one, kept a reluctant watch on Nine and Jack as they wandered through the streets, drinking and laughing. Even Machina seemed to enjoy himself as Rem pulled him from vendor to vendor. He occasionally made a show of mild reluctance, but eventually followed with a warm look on his face.

    With the exhaustion of the day catching up to them, Ace and Deuce made their way back to their room in the inn. The Iscah night was quite warm, as was befitting the month. After the two walked in and locked the door, Deuce sat down at the foot of the bed to finish the ice cream she had bought, while Ace set the bags he had been carrying next to the ones Deuce had from that afternoon.

    “Are you sure you don’t want any?” inquired Deuce, offering the ice cream to him as he fished out his nightclothes from the backpack for his shower. “It’s quite delicious.”

    “Go ahead and finish it. I’m still full from dinner.”

    Contently, Deuce licked at the remaining bits of the dessert, unaware of a pair of sharp blue eyes watching her pink tongue move smoothly across the white ridges. Ace breathed in deeply. Perhaps he was mildly intoxicated from the alcohol earlier, but his blood boiled at the vaguely sensual sight. She munched on the remainder of the cone, shivering a little at the cold aftereffect, only to feel instantly warmer when Ace leaned over her.

    His hands were set on either side of her and before she knew it, his lips were on hers. Deuce grasped the front of his tunic in response, pulling him closer as he grasped her waist. He grazed her lower lip with his tongue, seeking entrance, and she moaned quietly, allowing him in. They were far more comfortable with such acts than before, the building heat in their bodies that was once strange now accompanied with eager anticipation and passion.

    “You’re right,” Ace said when he reluctantly pulled away for air and kissed her cheek. “That ice cream was quite delicious.”

    Giggling, she released his tunic and gave him a quick kiss as he stood up straight once more. “You taste like wine, Ace. How much did you drink?”

    “Three or four glasses. The mayor kept toasting and asking me to drink with him, remember?”

    “He’s very grateful for when you helped him retrieve his treasure.” She pulled her legs up onto the bed to begin pulling off her knee-high socks. “The legionary was in awe of your bravery.”

    Brow furrowing at the memory, Ace grimaced. “Ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to spend even longer in the shower. Are you sure you don’t want to go first?”

    “It’s okay. I have something I want to do anyway.”

    “Oh, really?” asked Ace, his eyebrow raising in curiosity. “What—”

    A coy smile graced Deuce’s lips. “It’s a surprise! You can’t know right now!”

    “Okay…” Ace replied with a chuckle. “I guess I’ll find out later.”

 

* * *

 

    Dozing lightly, Ace relaxed on the bed with his head against the backboard, waiting for Deuce to finish her shower and join him. He could hear her movements in the bathroom, from the shower turning off to her drying her hair to the running of the sink. It was strange how such things could seem so normal now when a year ago, he hadn’t even given a thought to having a romantic relationship with anyone. But now, he was happier than he’d ever been.

    He heard the door to the bathroom open and he opened his eyes lazily, only for his eyes to instantly widen at the sight before him. Deuce—his adorable, loving, shy Deuce—was wearing a beautiful, but rather provocative turquoise nightdress. If he thought his blood had been stirred earlier, he had severely underestimated the extent of his own body’s excitement.

    The nightdress looked satiny and was all at once magnificently and sinfully enticing in its execution. It dipped between her breasts and tapered down to her thighs, short enough to tease at the lacy blue underneath. The shoulder straps were so thin, he had to wonder how they managed to support the entire dress. Then again, there didn’t seem to be much dress to support.

    “Deuce…?” Ace sat up to meet her gaze, words lost somewhere between his mind and mouth.

    “I…umm…I got this today while we were shopping…” Deuce said, timidly stepping toward him and the bed, face flushed pink. “W-What do you think?”

    “It’s…nice,” he answered as she slid onto the bed next to him. He looked down at his right hand, not wanting to stare and make her too self-conscious. “The other girls helped you pick it out?”

    “Mmm-hmm. T-They said you would like it,” she mumbled, curling her legs slightly to lean toward him. To say she was anxious was an understatement. Though she had resolved to breach the topic of taking that next step in their relationship, actually doing so was difficult. The other girls had thought the satin negligee would help alleviate the issue, pushing his male instinct and hormones into overdrive so that she wouldn’t have to say much. But he seemed to not even want to look at her. Was it too much? Was he repulsed by how improper she was being?  “D-Do you not like it?”

    This question startled him, though he didn’t show it. She really wanted his approval with this nightdress. Was this the surprise she was talking about earlier? Ace sighed nervously, forcing his eyes toward her. She was fidgeting with the bottom hem of the dress, perhaps trying to cover more of herself. When she felt him look, she slowly raised her eyes to meet his.

    “I…I do like it,” he said carefully. “It’s beautiful…it…matches your eyes.”

    Her eyes widened with astonishment. The other girls had picked this color for the negligee just for that reason, but she hadn’t expected him to notice. Slowly, she reached for the hand he had near her on the bed before scooting closer to him. She could feel him tense as she moved, yet she pressed forward still, determined to tell him what had been on her mind since the morning.

    “Ace…I-I’ve been thinking…” she began, placing her hand over his and drawing his gaze. “You have been so wonderful and considerate to me…and I love you so much…”

    “I should be saying that to you,” he muttered, his gaze drifting down to their touching hands.

    She smiled as he brought her hand up to kiss her palm. “I want us to enjoy everything together…”

    “I already do,” he declared ardently. “I don’t regret anything with you, Deuce.”

    Filling with warmth at his assertion, Deuce took a deep breath and brought her hand to his cheek, causing him to turn his eyes to hers once more. “I…I think I’m ready to take it another step further…”

    “Another step further…?” he repeated, the phrase taking him back to the first time they kissed and the intimate session they shared after. “Y-You mean…?”

    Suddenly, the pieces all fell into place for him. The embarrassment that covered her that morning and prevented her from telling him, the suggestive nightdress, her nervousness in approaching him on the bed, her surprise for him, all of it came back to her wanting to take the next step with him, but not knowing exactly how to broach the topic. Relief flooded his mind and he chuckled. He should have expected as much from his beautifully shy and caring girlfriend.

    “I-If you want to…” she added, her hand sliding down his neck to his chest. “We could—I mean…I-I don’t know how exactly…b-but…”

    Ace leaned forward, bringing his fingers under Deuce’s chin to tilt her head and lock eyes with her. His soft blue eyes bore into her deep turquoise. She could feel his other hand envelop hers, the heat washing over her fingers and through her body.

    “Don’t worry about it,” he comforted her before pressing a prolonged but still chaste kiss to her lips. “We can figure it out together.”

    “Ace…”

    Summoning her courage, Deuce wound her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. Ace hummed against her lips in approval and sat back, his hands sliding down to her waist and guiding her onto his lap. Once she settled comfortably on his thighs, one hand moved to grasp hers once more while the other slid down to touch the small of her back. When she drew back for air, he hugged her tightly and buried his face against her neck, breathing in deeply and tickling her sensitized skin.

    “Are you sure you want this?” he inquired in her ear. “There’s no rush.”

    “Y-Yes. I want…I want to make you feel good,” she replied, blushing and skimming her fingers down his still clothed back. “I want to…”

    A deep sigh escaped his lips. She sounded so hesitant and anxious, he almost didn’t want to continue for fear of forcing himself on her. If he wanted to make it good for her, he needed her completely ready and relaxed. Additionally, they had very little time for such acts tonight. As much as he wanted it, perhaps tonight wasn’t a good time.

    “Deuce…we don’t…we don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” he said quietly, kissing her shoulder and squeezing her hand. “In fact, maybe…maybe we should wait…”

    Lips quivering, Deuce watched as Ace drew back to bring their foreheads together and meet her gaze. “W-Why?” she asked tremulously. “A-Am I doing something wrong?”

    “What? No! No, it’s not that! You’re…you’re wonderful,” Ace assured, giving her another kiss. “I just…I want to take my time with you and explore our bodies together…” He kissed her shoulder again. “But we have to be up tomorrow to catch the airship back and receive our mission orders. We can’t be up all night doing…doing this.”

    “Oh…y-you’re right. O-Of course…” she murmured, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “I’m sorry…I…”

    “Don’t be sorry,” muttered Ace, his fingers skimming down her satin-covered side. “I want to; you know I do. It’s just that the timing isn’t ideal.” He nuzzled her cheek, adjusting their positions slightly to allow her to lie on top of him. “I want our first time to be…special. You deserve that.”

    “Ace…”

    He leaned his cheek against her forehead and sighed once more as she placed her head beside his on the pillow. “I’m sorry. You went through all this trouble and I just…”

    “It’s okay…” She kissed his jaw and pulled herself closer to him. “I was…I was too nervous, I think. I don’t know how…”

    “You were doing…incredibly well,” he rumbled, an impish smirk pulling at his lips before he laid a kiss on her forehead. “You don’t have to worry about anything, Deuce. We’ll explore and figure it out together, just as we have been doing.”

    Her cheeks pink with emotion, Deuce nodded in agreement. The tension in her body flowed away and a sense of contentment settled over her. She nestled against the hard ridges of his body, the fingers of her right hand absentmindedly stroking his chest. Likewise, his left hand rubbed the small of her back while their other hands lay still entwined. Even with the heat of arousal dying down, they savored the comfort of being in each other’s embrace.

    “Love you, Ace…”

    “I love you too, Deuce,” Ace lowered his head, pressing gentle, loving kisses to her lips. “My love…my flame…my light…”

    She gasped at his words as he sucked lightly on her lower lip. Her Ace was so incurably romantic, it filled her heart with an overwhelming warmth. “Ace…”

    “Another night, if you still want to,” he whispered, his left hand stroking her side. “I promise.”

    “Mmm…I will,” she uttered, blushing as her thigh brushed a distinct hardness beneath her. “I do want to…with you…”

    His face growing redder as he felt her subtly shifting to avoid rubbing against his excitement, he took a deep breath to calm himself. It was something they occasionally had to do before when their intimate sessions got too heated. Eventually, he hoped, they would be more comfortable with the entirety of each other’s bodies and the virginal shyness that came with touching each other would taper down.

    “You really…surprised me tonight,” he said in a low voice, drawing her attention again.

    “Was it a good surprise?”

    “Oh, yes, of course. I liked it,” he assured her, their eyes meeting. “Wear this too. It’s…very fitting. You look stunning.”

    Deuce nodded in response, face reddening at his compliment. “T-Thank you…”

    Just then, Ace chuckled, rubbing their noses together affectionately. In response, Deuce cuddled with him happily. He sighed lightly, reaching for the covers and pulling the cloth over their forms.

    “I was just thinking…we need to take precautions, don’t we? I would like to have a family with you, but—!”

    As soon as the words left his mouth, realization set in at what he said and he stopped abruptly, eyes widened. They had never really discussed the future beyond the next mission, perhaps in fear of not being able to live past that. Such was the fleeting nature of the lives they were born into. But saying something like that aloud had set off the thought that they could have a future past the war, a future together. For moments, the two simply stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

    “I’m…umm…taking the herbs…” Deuce said quietly, an answer to his question.

    Arkham Greens, better known as ‘the herbs’ were a standard issue contraceptive that all female cadets at Akademeia had access to, mostly to help with monthly cramps. The herbs were known for their efficiency, only needing to be consumed orally rather than being injected in a serum. Ace nodded slowly in understanding. Though the male cadets didn’t have an equivalent oral contraceptive, they were still required to know of such things. To his embarrassment, several of their female classmates as well as Dr. Arecia herself had reminded him about the herbs when he and Deuce started dating.

    “I see…then we don’t need to worry about that…” he answered.

    “…But I think we could have a family one day…if you want to.”

    “To be honest, I can’t see myself with anyone other than you,” proclaimed Ace, gently squeezing her hand with his. “Now or in the future. You’re the only one for me.”

    “Me either,” she agreed, leaning up to kiss him delicately. “My Ace…”

    He reciprocated the kiss eagerly, pulling her closer as her fingers wound into his hair and her other hand pressed comfortably against his chest. Deuce sighed as their lips parted, the tender and loving look on her face compelling Ace to nuzzle her.

    A comfortable silence settled between them as they gave each other adoring looks. To think, more than half a year ago, they were merely friends—pseudo-siblings at most, being raised under the same mother. It was a bit too akin to a fantasy, how quickly and deeply they fell into a romance. But fall they did. Perhaps they had been falling in love since they first met, childish fascination and infatuation growing into a deep-seated, emotional attachment.

    “If you had asked me a year ago, I never would have thought we’d be like this,” Ace admitted in a low voice, hesitant to break the silence as he started brushing strands of her hair out of her face. “You said you had a crush on me when we were younger and I never noticed…I’m so glad you eventually showed me how you felt, so we could get here.”

    “It was more than that, actually…” Deuce murmured, blushing slightly as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I…well…you…”

    Quirking an eyebrow, Ace looked at Deuce curiously. She seemed to be having trouble saying whatever she wanted to say, which meant that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the subject. His hand slid down her body to the small of her back, stroking her lazily to give her the time and comfort she needed. “Take your time,” he soothed.

    “You…You were my first love, Ace. You still are.”

    Ace’s eyes widened in surprise. Sure, she had told him that she had a crush on him when they were children, but he never thought that it ran so deep. Though they had always been fond of each other, he had assumed that she fell in love with him as they dated, much like he did with her. “I-I was…?”

    “Yes…my first and only love,” replied Deuce, her cheeks a rosy pink at her confession. “I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I remember thinking you were so brave and kind and sincere behind your cool façade that I…I fell in love.”

    With a tender look on his face, Ace leaned forward and kissed her again. Their lips moved together extra slowly, taking in the moment and expressing their love. When they finally parted, he couldn’t help but smile at her.

    “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t have a first love before you, so I guess that means you’re my first and only too,” he muttered, their lips still brushing lightly. “I’m sorry for making you wait so long, Deuce. But I’m here now.”

    “I’d meant to tell you for a long time, Ace,” she remarked, giggling happily as he started pressing light kisses all over her skin. “But it never seemed like the right time until now.”

    “I’m glad you did. I don’t want to make you wait on me any longer.”

    “Oh, Ace, you know I’m happy being with you now…”

    “Sure, but what do you think…about getting married?” inquired Ace softly. “I mean…in the future, after the war, of course. We could…”

    “…I would like that,” Deuce said in an equally soft tone, smiling sincerely at him.

    Ace smiled in response before leaning over to capture her lips again. There was no doubt in his mind now. He was making the right decision. As long as they stayed together, everything would be okay. That was all he needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, big steps! I've always felt like these types of things needed to be talked about in relationships in fics before they happen, but don't see the talking part happen all that often. Is that just me and not reading enough? 
> 
> Also, we're approaching the end (which will probably be in like a couple chapters), so I'm giving everyone fair warning to prepare themselves for the inevitable. XD


	13. The Future to Come

    “The war is almost over,” remarked King quietly as he read through the mission debriefing in his hands. “The Concordians have all retreated to their capital and withdrawn from battle. And the Militesi are shoring up their defenses. Either way, the next few battles will decide.”

    Seven, Rem, and Deuce nodded in agreement, their own mission debriefings laid out in front of them on their desks. The next missions were still being decided on in Central Command, but the sense that their campaign into Concordia ended with victory was spread throughout the dominion. 

    “The end of the war…” murmured Deuce thoughtfully. “I hope…”

    Ever since she and Ace had discussed the future, the possibility of marriage and a family, Deuce had found herself daydreaming more often than usual. They were still so young, yet the thought of a future together was more than appealing. Her mind conjured images all morning, from their everyday lives together to the more intimate moments to energetic children scrambling around their older selves. She decided that her Ace would make a splendid father with his protective and nurturing nature.

    “The Consortium will probably want us on the campaign into the Militesi territories.” Seven crossed her arms. “I assume Central Command will order a systematic elimination of each base. But as far as I know, they haven’t summoned Ace or Queen to issue us new orders.”

    “Speaking of which, where has Ace gone off to? I thought he’d be with you, Deuce,” Rem commented, a hint of teasing in her voice. “You two are always together now, you are.”

    Blushing slightly, Deuce smiled, her thoughts briefly turning to early this morning when she woke to find their hands still intertwined from the night before and Ace’s arm lovingly curled around her. Just as Rem had said, their physical attachment to each other had been stronger recently than ever before. Even on the airship back from Iscah, he was beside her, watching fondly as she chatted with the others. 

    “He needed to run some errands,” Deuce responded. “He should be back soon…”

    Rem giggled at how wistfully the flutist glanced at the classroom doors. “I see. Oh, and did he like the gifts you bought him?”

    “Oh, yes! Thank you again for helping me pick them out!”

Just then, the doors to the classroom opened and Ace walked in, a bundle of folders under his arm and a stack of books in his hands. He was followed by Queen, who had a single heavy tome in her arms. The two of them walked toward Queen’s desk, deep in conversation about the current situation.

“Reports of a Militesi operation near Mt. Kilmov have Central Command concerned about our advance into Azurr,” Queen explained, setting her book down at her desk. “I think we should go ahead of not only the main forces but also the vanguard and investigate this operation. The resources the Militesi are obtaining from there may be used in their weapons manufacturing.”

“Yeah, it’ll be troublesome if they keep receiving resources while we’re trying to lay siege to their bases,” agreed Ace as he sat down next to Deuce. “Let’s cut them off before our forces attempt to push into their territory.”

“I will inform Tachinami and the other Tribunes of our plans then.” Queen nodded, adjusting her glasses. “Will you work on assigning teams?”

“Okay,” Ace said as Queen picked up one of the folders and hurried out once more.

“Busy already, Ace?” inquired Seven, holding back a smile when Deuce surreptitiously reached over and placed her hand on his, earning a small adoring look from the card wielder.

“Yeah. Usually working with Central Command is part of the CO’s job, but since we don’t have one at the moment…” he grumbled before he turned his attention back to Deuce. “I’m done for now though. Ready to go?”

Deuce nodded, standing up with Ace and waving to the others as she followed him out to the backyard. When they had returned from Iscah earlier that morning, Ace had told her that he would have something for her after he had finished running his errands. She wondered what it could possibly be.

When they entered the back garden, the first thing she noticed was that no one was around. It was a warm and peaceful day, so it was a bit surprising that none of the other Class Zero members were out in their private backyard. The second thing she noticed was Ace seemed tense, almost uncertain, with his shoulders stiff and his brow set in a slight furrow. He stared at the benches at the end of the path with an absentminded look on his face, guiding her toward them almost like an automaton.

“Ace?” Deuce asked, touching his palm with the tips of her fingers. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm? Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” he responded, his hand instinctively curling at her touch to entwine their fingers. “Just got a little distracted by my thoughts.”

“Do you need to sit and talk about it?” She looked up at him, worry written in her eyes.

Shaking his head, Ace turned to her, an oddly bashful look on his face. “Don’t worry about it. Actually…I was thinking back to when you first asked to spend more time with me…”

“O-Oh!” Deuce blushed at his statement, hugging his arm and burying her face against his shoulder in embarrassment. “Mmm…”

“We’ve really come a long way since then,” he whispered. “Are you sure you’re…happy with the way things have turned out with us?”

“Of course I am,” replied Deuce, cheeks still a light pink as she turned her gaze back up at him and smiled shyly. “You’re the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. Being together with you is so wonderful. I’m happy just being by your side. I love you so much, Ace.”

His resolve strengthened at her response, Ace smiled and gently shifted to move her off his arm. He faced her, hands grasping hers lightly. “I have to admit…what we talked about in Iscah…I’ve been thinking about it for a long time now. I…I know we haven’t really been dating for all that long, but we’ve known each other all our lives and I’ve never felt so strongly about anyone before, Deuce. You’re the only one I’ve ever loved like this…”

“Ace…” Her heart filled with warmth at his words and the tender squeeze of his hands.

“Maybe it’s too soon, but I suppose my heart is stubborn.” He leaned down to touch their foreheads together, blue eyes meeting turquoise. “All I know is that I want to be with you. I want to always make you happy, to be beside you until the end and beyond.”

She wasn’t sure what had brought on this unexpected show of romance, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Her breath hitched as his eyes bore into hers, tinged with uncertainty. Slowly, his hands released hers.

“A-Ace…?” Deuce stared at him confusedly as he backed away to take a deep breath and reach into his satchel. “What…?”

The object he pulled out was too small to see from her perspective. It must have been small enough to fit in his hand. Ace held his hand tensely, the item clenched in his fist, and looked up at Deuce once more. “Deuce…”

“Yes…?”

With his free hand, Ace grasped her left hand and pulled her close. A gasp unconsciously escaped Deuce’s lips as her thoughts and emotions seemed to run helter-skelter and all at once stop at the same time. Ace stared at her intently for a moment, as if trying to read her face, before speaking again.

“Stay by my side, now and forever?”

In his open palm sat a beautifully crafted ring, diamond and sapphires set in shining white gold, and Deuce brought her hand to her lips in surprise. The ring was simple in design with gentle curves entwining together like phoenix tail feathers, but it was still dazzling to Deuce, almost enrapturing. As stunning as the ring was, it meant even more that Ace was offering it to her, a promise to be with her and to marry her one day.

“Yes…yes, I will, Ace…”

A wide grin slowly making its way onto his face as he registered her words, Ace let out the nervous breath he had been holding. He took another deep breath, unable to take his gaze off of her, and brought her hand to his lips to lightly kiss it. Deuce trembled with exhilaration, warmth filling her heart at how romantic he was. Carefully, he slid the ring onto her finger.

“This isn’t just a ring to me, Deuce,” said Ace quietly. “This is a promise to love and cherish you in every way I can, to always be your partner, and to have you as my one and only.”

“Oh, Ace…”

“I love you, Deuce.”

Tears pricking at the corners of her eyes in happiness, Deuce felt his sincere words in her very body and her outward composure came undone. Unable to help herself, she leapt into his arms, nearly causing both of them to topple over, and mashed their lips together for a deep and loving kiss. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair and hold the back of his neck, while his arms tightened around her, holding her raised off the ground. And in that frame of time, they only knew each other and the feel of the other. After several minutes, they reluctantly parted, still holding each other close.

“I love you, Ace. I love you,” she repeated as he smiled and nuzzled the crook of her neck.

They stood together in a silent bliss, swept up in the emotion and each other's presence. Her fingers stroking through his hair, she sighed contently before pressing another kiss to his cheek and loosening her hold on him just enough for her feet to reach the ground again. His arms still around her, he watched as she slid her ringed hand down to his chest to admire the accessory.

“I wanted you to have something, even if we’re not ready to be married yet,” Ace stated in a low voice, eyes warm with adoration. “...I hope that’s okay.”

“Oh, Ace, it was like a dream or a fairy tale! It was so romantic. You did wonderfully, believe me. I’m so flattered and happy and…” exclaimed Deuce, leaning into him slightly and examining the gemstones embedded in the ring. “This is so beautiful. Where and when did you…?

“Back when we were in Iscah,” he answered. “The blacksmith in Iscah, more specifically. He made the ring, but we brought him the materials from the Bethnel Caverns.”

Surprise widened her eyes. “You went to the Bethnel Caverns?”

“King, Nine, and Eight were with me,” assured Ace, one hand rubbing her back soothingly. “And we went with Eight the first time and we were fine.”

“It’s still dangerous…” she said worriedly. “You don’t need to push yourself so hard for me…”

Ace shook his head, pulling her against his chest for another hug. “It was worth it to see you so happy, Deuce.”

Sighing happily, Deuce closed her eyes and snuggled into his embrace. He was so very warm and comforting and she felt a blissful tranquility wash over her. Relaxed blue eyes watching with a hint of tenderness, Ace quirked a grin as she turned to smile dreamily at him. Certainties could have been considered a rarity in this world, but they certainly had no doubts about each other.

 

* * *

 

    Sunlight peeked through the crimson curtains, rousing the young leader of Class Zero from his slumber. Leisurely, Ace cracked open an eyelid and took a deep breath, acutely aware of the slender body huddled on top of his. Her right hand entwined with his left and her left resting on his bare chest, Deuce seemed to sleep on comfortably despite the rays of light that were gradually crawling across the room. He held her closely and intimately, his free arm slung around her waist. With her cheek resting snugly against his shoulder, he could feel her soft brown hair against the side of his jaw. They fit sublimely together, as if fate itself meant for them to be one. 

    A tired but content smile made its way onto his lips. They had taken such large steps in their relationship recently, yet it all seemed so natural. Perhaps it was the result of being friends for so long before becoming lovers. Their love had been forged over time, not through fancy gifts, seductive words, and hormonal whims, but through quiet reassurances, battle-earned trust, and warm devotion. He had never felt so close to anyone before.

    Though Deuce was the one who was prone to daydreaming, Ace couldn’t help but imagine their future together as he laid there with her. Maybe their mornings would be much like this one, a satisfied tranquility with entangled legs and warm arms around each other. No war, no paralyzing fear of losing each other, no responsibilities far too foreboding for mere teenagers, they could just be a pair of cadets sharing their love together.

    Wordlessly, he raised his hand to brush her hair out of her face, fingers dwelling at her right temple as he stared in awe at her. Before they began their courtship, he had never paid much attention to the attractiveness of other people—much less the girls around him—but now, she was the most beautiful being in the world to him. He exhaled lightly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

    “Mmm…Ace…” she murmured, slowly sliding her hand up his chest before opening her eyes.

    “Sorry. Did I wake you?” he asked softly, touching her cheek. “It’s still early.”

    She smiled, feeling his heart thump steadily under her. “It’s okay. I like waking up with you.”

    “…How do you feel?” He nuzzled the crown of her head affectionately, his hand dropping down to sit on her waist once more. “I didn’t hurt you last night, did I?”

    “No, it was wonderful,” she answered blissfully, a mild blush on her cheeks. “You’re so amazing, Ace. I’m so lucky to have you.”

    A grin curled his lips and he felt a mix of pride and joy bubble up inside him. “I love you.”

    “I love you!” she replied with an equally adoring smile, shifting slightly to reach up and kiss him. Their lips meshed together delicately, but no less lovingly than the many kisses they had shared before. When they parted, she sighed contently and he kissed her forehead.

    “I’m glad you liked it. I’m surprised we’re awake so early after...last night. Can’t entirely say I don’t feel it though. Are you not sore?” Ace rumbled thoughtfully, stretching his limbs with a yawn. “I guess we should shower and change the sheets if we’re not going to sleep more.”

    Reddening profusely at his words, Deuce laid her head against his collarbone and buried her face against the crook of his neck with an embarrassed whine, earning an amused snicker from Ace. Of course, the irony of her reaction was not lost on either of them. 

    “...Just a little longer,” she mumbled as she began to trace nonsensical shapes on his chest with her feather-light touch. “You’re always so comfy.”

    “That sounds so odd to me every time you say it,” chuckled Ace, leaning his cheek against the crown of her head. “I’ve never thought of myself like that. And no one else has ever said it to me.”

    “Well, I’m the only one who you cuddle with, Ace. No one else would know such a thing,” Deuce giggled in response. “You’re always so warm too.”

    “Perfect for you, given how much you can’t stand the cold,” he retorted. “I’ll be your personal heater. Part of my duties as your partner, naturally.”

    He knew her so well that she couldn’t help but smile at his remarks. Years of living together and then being more had certainly made them intimately familiar with each other’s habits and quirks, but the fact that he had embraced their relationship so eagerly and readily just filled her with happiness beyond words. She hadn’t expected his proposal to come so soon after they talked about marriage, but it seemed that perhaps he had asked her about it because he was already ready and wanted to make sure she was. He had made plans and gotten her ring earlier that day, after all.

    Quietly, Deuce shifted slightly, leg brushing against his under the covers, and looked up at him appreciatively. Sensing her stare, he let out a questioning hum and his eyes turned downward to meet her gaze. Her hand drifting up from his chest to his cheek, she pulled him down for another soft kiss. As they parted, she could see the beautiful ring on her finger set against his jaw and a thought entered her mind.

    “We should get you a ring too, shouldn’t we?” she inquired as she settled back against his shoulder. “You went through all the trouble to get me one…”

    “If you want,” he responded, nuzzling her lovingly. “I don’t need a fancy one. We can go up to the Armory whenever you want and have one made.”

    “Are you sure?”

    After a brief pause, Ace turned his head to press a kiss to her palm and then let out a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m sure. We’ve shared everything at this point. Our hearts are connected. Whether I’m wearing a fancy ring or a simple one won’t change the way that I feel about you.”

    “Mmm...you’re right…but I think I would still like you to have a similar design for your ring,” Deuce said softly, fingers light against his jaw. “It’s so beautiful. How did you get such a design?”

    His lips curled in amusement. “Let’s just say the blacksmith and I wrote a fair share of letters to each other the last few weeks.” A more serious look softened his features and he pulled her close again. “…I really didn’t want to disappoint you.”

    Smiling hearteningly, Deuce leaned closer into his embrace and kissed him again, their lips brushing sweetly and softly. It always flattered her how much effort he put toward making her happy and although he tended to act like it wasn’t a big deal, she knew he sometimes worried whether she was content with him. And she was more than willing to provide that reassurance.

    “You wouldn’t have disappointed me. Just knowing you care is enough,” she uttered softly as they parted, locking eyes with him with her hand against his cheek. “You make me so happy.”

    “I’m glad,” he replied, giving her a small smile as her fingers made their way into the mildly messy locks on the side of his head. “...What are you doing?”

    Pursing her lips briefly to hold down her embarrassment, she brushed his hair to the side. “Fixing your hair. I may have accidentally...messed it up last night.”

    “Thanks...that feels really nice,” Ace remarked at length, mildly surprised at the sensation. 

    “It feels nice for me too. Your hair is so soft,” Deuce giggled, sliding her fingers through the blond hairs. “I didn’t realize it was so long either.”

    “Not nearly as long as yours,” he remarked with a playful huff. It seemed like all they could do this morning was smile, banter, and touch each other.

    “But you like it that way,” she murmured, their noses close enough to touch. As they grew more confident with their acts of affection, he had often brushed his fingers through her hair, entranced by both the feel and length of it. The way she tied back her hair and fixed it after battles was almost always able to grab his attention, as if he had a strange fascination with her hair. Or perhaps it was just her.

    Giving a low grunt of agreement, he planted another kiss on her lips, which she eagerly accepted. Her hands drifting down through his hair and around the back of his neck, she clung onto him closely on the bed, craving the warmth and intimacy he provided.

    “I like it very much,” he said warmly, shifting to nudge the side of her hair with his nose.

    His hands found rest on her waist as she combed her fingers through his hair, the look on his face clearly displaying his enjoyment of her gentle touch. Her touches and caresses had a way of lighting his senses in a way that nothing else could. Not wanting to speak, he closed his eyes and was practically purring in contentment by the time she withdrew her hand and set it back on his bare chest.

    The idle rumbles from his throat were a familiar sound and they always put a smile on Deuce’s face. They meant Ace was utterly relaxed and content, which meant she could be as well. More than once, she had fallen asleep to his pleased hums, the previous night included. Her fingers slid down his chest, stroking skin gently and deliberately.

    “Deuce…”

    “Hmm…?”

    “Thank you.”

    She tilted her head confusedly. “For what?”

“For...this.” He covered her hand with his and touched their foreheads together, his eyes still closed from savoring her touch. “For giving us a chance. I’ve...honestly never been happier.”

Joy and warmth filled her heart at his words and she smiled sweetly. “Me too, Ace. Me too.”

 

* * *

 

Letting out a yawn, Ace pulled Deuce closer to his side as they stood staring out the window at the various shipment carts of incoming metals and other materials. A year ago, he would have been hesitant to show such a public display of affection, but now, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was proud of her, proud of their relationship and what they had together. With her arms curled around one of his and her head against his shoulder, they must have seemed like such a sickeningly sweet couple to anyone who caught sight of them, thought Ace wryly. Thankfully, the department was largely empty at such an early hour of the morning. 

    At Deuce’s insistence, they had gone straight to the Research Division to get his ring ordered and forged after their morning routines the day before. The resident blacksmith had taken a look at her ring and immediately drawn out a similar design for them to look at and approve. Once Deuce had made some stylistic adjustments to her liking, the blacksmith had gone off to work on it immediately, his excitement for helping members of Class Zero driving his haste.

“Are you going to wear your ring, Ace?” Deuce suddenly questioned, looking up at him as her soft voice jolted Ace out of his silent contemplation. “If it’s too much trouble, you don’t have to...I just wanted you to have yours to match the one you gave me…”

If he were to be completely honest, he hadn’t expected that she would wear hers. He knew she would be happy to have it, but rings so decorative were impractical, requiring so much care to be taken to avoid damaging them or misplacing them. And she knew that. It seemed though that, despite the nuisance, she wore her ring with a sense of pride and joy, letting it serve as a tangible symbol of their love.

“I will,” he muttered, feeling her nestle against his side again. “I’d be remiss to let you wear your ring without me wearing its match.”

Just then, a dark-haired cadet wearing a grayish silver mantle—that of Class Eleventh— approached them, drawing their attention. “Ah, are you two the Class Zero couple? Tetsu wanted me to let you know that he should be done with your ring shortly. He’ll bring it out in a moment.”

“Thank you for letting us know,” replied Deuce, lifting her head from Ace’s shoulder to allow him to turn and face the cadet. “It wasn’t too much trouble, was it?”

“He was working on it most of yesterday, I heard,” said the Class Eleventh cadet with a laugh. “I haven’t seen him that fired up about a project in a while.”

“And a fine thing it turned out to be!”

The three turned to see the blacksmith walking out from his workshop door in the back of the Research Division, wide grin on his face and fist clenched in front of him. An older, stockier man than most at Akademeia with a crimson bandana over his bald head and a graying beard, the blacksmith was a rare sight even within the Research Division, usually working from dawn to late at night in his workshop. Grabbing Ace’s free hand as he reached them, he shoved the ring into Ace’s palm and looked at the couple expectantly.

“Oh, it’s wonderful, Tetsu!” Deuce cooed, tracing the designs on the ring with the tip of her finger. Like hers, the markings were as entwined phoenix tail feathers, seeming to burn with flames at the edges. His was a clear set companion to her ring, despite the lack of jewels. “Ace, what do you think?”

“It’s...amazing,” said Ace, his mind reeling in awe at how well the design matched that of Deuce’s ring. He hadn’t seen what adjustments Deuce made to the initial drawing the blacksmith had made, but he was confident that she was the reason it turned out so well. “Thank you, Tetsu.”

“Thank your girl. She refined all the details,” huffed the blacksmith as Deuce took the ring in hand and slid it onto Ace’s finger. “I couldn’t well fail to meet her expectations after she told me how much you mean to her.”

Smiles crossing their lips as Ace placed his hand on hers and weaved his fingers with hers, the couple admired their matching rings sitting side-by-side to each other. There was something surreal about the moment, as if seeing the rings together truly drove home the thought of their future together, and Ace took a deep breath to savor the feeling. 

“Thank you…”

 

* * *

 

“Deucey, did Acey really give you a ring?” asked Cinque eagerly, sliding into the seat next to Deuce. “Did he? Did he?”

Ace raised an eyebrow, his attention shifting from the book on his desk to Cater, Cinque, Seven, and Rem coming up to Deuce. After breakfast, he and Deuce had come into Classroom Zero to study, her sitting next to his usual seat since they were still craving the continual physical contact with each other. He had his left arm propped up on his desk, his cheek resting against his fist as he read, while she held his right hand on his knee. Until the others came in, they had been peacefully enjoying the quiet atmosphere and each other. 

“I’m right here, you know,” Ace retorted wryly.

Cater scoffed playfully. “Pffft, sure, but you’re not going to tell us if you messed up or anything. That’s why we’re asking Deuce.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” grumbled Ace. “You weren’t even supposed to know beforehand…”

“It was a team effort to get everything set up perfectly, Ace,” Seven said, amused at their leader’s disgruntled demeanor this morning. “We just want to know how it went.”

“So did he, Deucey? Did he?” Cinque questioned again, bouncing excitedly in the seat.

Deuce glanced at Ace, as if asking whether she should answer them. His eyes softened upon meeting hers and he shrugged, signifying that it was up to her. Slowly and carefully, she untangled her fingers from his and raised her left hand for the girls to see, the sparkling gems on the band catching the morning light just right. Rem, Cater, and Cinque marveled over the beauty of the ring with oohs and aahs, while Seven simply smiled.

“It turned out quite well, I thought,” commented Seven, crossing her arms loosely. “Queen and I were very impressed with it.”

“You saw it beforehand?” Rem inquired curiously.

“Ace had Queen and I keep it safe for the night,” Seven answered. “He was very cautious about Deuce finding out and thought that if he kept it in their room, she might accidentally find it. Queen and I kept it with us until he was ready.”

At that moment, Queen walked into the classroom with Moglin trailing behind her, her attention immediately drawn to the group huddled around Ace’s desk in the front corner of the classroom. “Ace, I need you to come with me,” Queen announced, ever authoritative. “Central Command has issued orders and they want to talk to us.”

“Right.” Ace stood up, rolling his shoulders slightly before shutting his book.

He turned to leave, only for Deuce to grasp him by the hand, her ring brushing against his as she caught his fingers. He looked back at her inquiringly. Her lips curling in a gentle smile, Deuce nodded and gave his hand a squeeze as her eyes pleaded, a silent request. Chuckling softly and trying not think of the audience they had, Ace bent down again and, much to the surprise of the others, brushed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss. She blushed and sighed, giving him a shy but pleased look. His ears reddened along with his cheeks, him not quite succeeding in keeping the others out of mind. 

“I’m…uhh…going now,” he said quietly as they parted, barely loud enough for the others to hear.

“Come back soon,” she murmured in response.

With that, Ace flashed another grin at her before walking off to join Queen, who had the slightest hint of a smile on her face. Deuce watched wistfully as he left, the others giving each other amused looks at how clearly besotted the two were. They had known how Deuce pined strongly for their leader since childhood, but to see Ace respond so keenly was both surprising and heartening.

“Geez, I think you and Ace are going to overload me with how sweet you are to each other, Deuce,” Cater declared jokingly. “It almost makes me want to gag.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Deuce replied, holding down a giggle at how dramatic Cater was acting in her jesting. “But Ace really is so very sweet. He makes me so happy.”

“I would hope that to be the case,” remarked Seven. “You promised yourself to him, after all.”

“When are you getting married, Deucey?” Cinque demanded, her enthusiasm for the topic clear. “Can we be in the wedding too?”

“Have you two talked about getting married yet?” Rem asked.

Nodding, Deuce leaned back in her chair a bit, thinking back to their night in Iscah and how she and Ace had cuddled and discussed the future in hushed tones. “Only a bit. We thought it would have to be after the war…we don’t have much time to plan one right now, after all…and I don’t think we necessarily need it now since we’re together anyway. But when the time comes…I would like all of you to be there. I know Ace would too.”

“You know we will!” assured Cater with a wide smile.

“What’s this? I think I hear wedding plans, Eight! Congrats-congrats, Deucey!”

The girls turned to see Jack and Eight walking into the classroom, the former with his usual goofy grin and the latter smirking a bit at Jack’s comment. Swiftly, the two boys joined the group, Eight and Jack nodding approvingly at her ring.

“Congratulations, Deuce,” Eight said tranquilly. “To both you and Ace.”

“Thank you both. Oh, and thank you for going with Ace to get the materials for this ring, Eight,” Deuce answered, a sincerely grateful look on her face. “I don’t know what I would have done if he had injured himself again getting it for me…”

Eight chuckled. “King happened to be in here when he was planning the entire trip and roped me into the mission. We couldn’t let him run off by himself to fight a bunch of Behemoths. He really is in love with you, you know?”

“I know…” Deuce smiled—mostly to herself—as she thought back to the last few days with a light blush on her cheeks. “And I love him so. He’s so wonderful.”

“It’s so weird to think about,” Jack remarked with a grin. “You two being together…we were just kids that Mother brought together years ago…who’d have thought?”

“Nuh-uh, Jack-Jack! Cinquey saw it coming!” asserted Cinque, hopping up and down excitedly. “Deucey had a crush on Acey!”

Cater, Seven, and Eight exchanged knowing looks before laughing while Deuce blushed at the mention of her childhood infatuation of her boyfriend. Ace was so cute and charming even as a boy, she couldn’t help herself. And his development into a handsome and sensitive young man had only deepened her affection for him. She would never be able to put into words the happiness she felt when he reciprocated her feelings after so long of pining after him. Part of her had even given up hope of him ever noticing her love toward him, but somehow things worked out for them.

“Anything could happen, Jack. Who really knows what the future will bring?”

Seven’s voice brought Deuce out of her reverie and Deuce smiled in agreement. They had always been so focused on training and fighting, her younger self would have never foreseen herself effectively engaged at this age, much less to her lifelong crush. The future was a mysterious thing indeed.

“That may be so,” said Deuce softly, drawing the others’ attention. “But as long as we are all together, I’m confident that we’ll be fine…and happy.”

“It’s just like you to be so optimistic,” Cater snickered fondly. 

Jack shrugged and grinned. “Well, the war is almost over, right? And then Ace and Deuce will get married…and hey, do you think your kids are going to call Mother ‘Grandmother’?”

“I think it’s a bit early to be thinking of such things, Jack,” Deuce responded, a halfhearted scolding tone in her voice to mask her embarrassment. “Ace and I…we—”

Suddenly, the COMM system beeped and Deuce placed her fingers on her earpiece, listening intently. The others stopped, doing the same as her as they waited for the voice of their leader to speak.

“Class Zero, prepare for deployment. Meet at the airship landing in 10 minutes,” ordered Ace over the COMM system. “Mission details will be given on the way to our destination.”

“There’s your husband bossing us around again,” Cater teased Deuce, nudging the flutist playfully with an elbow. “He only just left ten minutes ago and he’s already giving us new orders. Hope he’s not that bossy after you get married.”

“Well, you heard Ace,” said Seven with a shrug. “We’ve got a mission.”

Eight rubbed his nose. “Same routine as always…guess this is going to have to wait.”

“I do hope that we can come back to this,” commented Rem. “We’ve only just begun to consider the possibilities.”

Nodding in agreement, Deuce stood up from her seat and the five teenagers walked out of their classroom together. Right now, their country needed them to fight for the present. The future was going to have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back with an update! Work the past few months has been absolutely hectic. XP
> 
> Also, another reason why this has been taking a while is because I basically wrote four or five versions of this chapter...a couple of which actually included the sexy time between Ace and Deuce. Buuuut I ultimately decided that I didn't want to take the majority of a chapter for my terrible attempt at smut. I may...post it sometime in the future once I've reworked it a couple times to my liking, if anyone is...interested. XD
> 
> Edit: Sexy time has now been uploaded here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14893706/chapters/34493507


	14. When Nine and Nine Meet Nine

    “Milites sucks! It’s always so cold!”

    Rolling his eyes at what seemed like Cater’s fiftieth complaint about the cold in the last two hours, Ace set down the stick he had been using to poke at the campfire they were huddled around. They were in Militesi territory, high up in the mountains inside a cavern to wait out a blizzard after completing a mission. Having grown up and lived in the almost yearly balmy environment of Rubrum, they were unfortunately and woefully unprepared for the cold that was prevalent throughout the snowy mountains of Milites. Even with the insulated clothing they had brought, the frozen bite of the wintery environment was still beyond what they were used to.

    “I-It is rather cold here, isn’t it?” commented Deuce, shivering slightly in her spot next to Ace. “Even with the fire here…”

    Wordlessly, Ace turned to look at her, his intense gaze easily drawing her attention from the fire. Deuce tilted her head questioningly, only to blush as his arm came around her waist to pull her into his lap. Placing his chin on her shoulder, he pressed his chest to her back and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on hers in her lap. The warmth of his body seeped through the layers of their clothing and she sighed happily, thankful for his inherent thoughtfulness.

    “Better?” he rumbled in her ear before setting his chin on her shoulder.

    “Yes, much better,” Deuce murmured, leaning back against him. “Thank you.”

    Cater crossed her arms, trying to curl herself up as much as possible. “Ugh, you two are the worst,” she commented, her amused voice belying the annoyance on her face. “The rest of us are over here freezing our butts off and you’re all warm and cuddly and stupidly cute together!”

    “So cute!” chirped Cinque cheerfully. “Acey and Deucey are so cuddly together!”

    “...I’m not sure if that was a compliment or a complaint,” deadpanned Ace, moving his legs slightly to let Deuce sit between his legs fully before pulling her close again and furrowing his brow at her cold hands. “Someone toss another batch of kindling and a log on the fire. We can’t let it go low.”

    “Right,” agreed Eight, shuffling to his feet to grab the materials from the pile they had quickly collected after they made camp in the cave. “Good thing there were trees nearby when we got here.”

    “It looks like the snow keeps piling up out there though…” Seven sighed, shifting in her seat. “We may be here for longer than just tonight.”

    “Maybe Trey, Nine, Queen, and Rem will find us a way out of here through the caverns,” suggested King, leaning forward to put his hands closer to the fire to warm them. “Though the blizzard may still prevent us from getting down from the mountain until it subsides…”

    “You know, as awful as it is to be stuck in a blizzard, it’s kinda cool to be visiting all these new places, yeah?” said Jack suddenly, his voice lilted with whimsical tranquility. “I mean, we wouldn’t have ever seen this kind of thing in Rubrum!”

    “What, you’re actually telling me you _like_ this kind of weather?” questioned Sice, nose scrunching with disdain. “Personally, I’m not enjoying freezing my toes off.”

    Jack closed his eyes, leaning back against the cave wall. “I’m not saying that...just that we wouldn’t have seen this kind of weather otherwise if we hadn’t traveled here for the mission!”

    “It’s just like you to be so optimistic, Jack,” Seven smiled gently. “I agree. Despite what we have to do on our missions, seeing all these different places is nice.”

    “Hmmm, I guess that’s true,” Cinque mused, her head tilted in thought. “We’ve never seen snow this thick at home!”

    “Right-right?” Jack replied, nodding his head enthusiastically before turning to Ace and Deuce just beside him. “Hey, maybe through all this traveling, we can find a good place for your wedding!”

    “Yeah, good idea, Jack-Jack!” agreed Cinque. “Somewhere nice and sunny!”

    At that, Deuce blushed, unable to keep the sheepish yet pleased smile off her face as she curled up closer to Ace. Neither of them liked being the center of attention, but it was inevitable with their relationship in focus, especially because they had taken such large steps recently. The others were all supportive in their own way as only pseudo-siblings could be, though the natural, friendly teasing happened a bit too much for Deuce’s liking.

    “We haven’t really talked about that,” muttered Ace to her, weaving their fingers together and letting their rings brush against each other. “Any requirements? Somewhere warm?”

    “Mmm, you know me so well,” Deuce giggled softly. “Do you have any?”

    “I was just going to let you choose,” he responded with a shrug before tilting his head and looking off to the side. “You’re the only requirement I have.”

    A small grin curled Ace’s lips once Deuce brought her other hand to his cheek and looked at him adoringly. It was the truth, despite what he was sure she would insist later when she actually started planning the event. As long as they were together, that was all he needed. He wasn’t the best at choosing his words, but she seemed to be able to understand his intent anyway.

    “...I can’t believe he just said that,” commented Cater with a look of bewilderment on her face. “That was so corny...”

    “You’re so sweet, Ace...” Deuce cooed, clearly lovestruck as Ace leaned his head back toward hers and unabashedly buried his nose into her scarf to nuzzle her neck. She smiled serenely at the feel of his arms tightening protectively around her, urging her to nestle closer to him. The fact that he was willing and initiating their public display of affection in front of the others spoke volumes about how proud he felt to be with her, which warmed her heart beyond what she could express.

    “I don’t think Deuce minds,” snickered Eight, an amused smirk on his face as he stretched his legs to the side. “If anything, I think she encourages it.”

    “Well, I don’t see anything wrong with it as long as they’re happy,” Seven remarked, picking up the stick Ace had been using to stoke the fire and moving the ashes around. “And you can’t deny that they’ve been much happier together than before, especially Ace.”

    Sice snickered, leaning forward with her knees pulled up to her chest. “With all the messing around they do when they think we aren’t looking, I’ll bet!”

    Face reddening with embarrassment, Deuce let out a soft whine and shrunk against Ace’s chest, causing the card wielder to chuckle and pat her hand encouragingly. “Who asked any of you to look?” retorted Ace, a smug smirk on his face. “Nosy.”

    “Ace…” murmured Deuce, mildly surprised at how well he was taking the teasing from their pseudo-siblings. Maybe he had gotten used to it already, given how he tended to get more of the friendly jabs and comments than she did.

    “Don’t mind them,” Ace whispered to her in a hushed voice as Jack yelped at a stray ember dropping onto his shoe. He nuzzled her neck, pressing a light kiss to her skin before setting his chin on her shoulder again. “They like to tease. It’s natural.”

    “Mmm, if you say so…”

 

* * *

 

    “They’re marching.”

    Ace grunted in acknowledgment of King’s observation, pulling Deuce closer to his side for warmth. The snow howled around them, so much so that he could barely hear the snide, restless sniping between Nine and Sice behind them, harsh conditions for waging war. Though they had come through a snowstorm on the airship, the weather only seemed to get worse as the day went on. They were at Azurr, in the middle of the dominion’s campaign to subjugate and dominate Milites and the remaining enemy forces, watching as the cadets and legionaries of the dominion army marched toward Ingram.

    Over the last month, they had seen to the conquest of the entirety of Militesi territory, from Cetme to East Nesher and now Azurr. Ingram was the last city in Militesi control, the center of their operations from the very beginning of the war. After taking Ingram, the war would be over. The tense and nervous atmosphere that had permeated the dominion camps and troops for this entire campaign was a testament to how important the mission was.  

    “It’s awfully cold…” whimpered Deuce, burying her face against Ace’s chest as she nestled closer to him. “Do they have to march now?”

    “It’ll get worse the longer we’re out here,” Ace rumbled softly. “Better we move on Ingram now before the weather gets worse. Our supply lines won’t last much longer.”

    “I overheard Section 4 agents claiming that the enemy forces numbered approximately 800,000 to our 600,000 when we took Arwen,” commented Queen, turning to Ace. “I suspect Milites does not have many left to muster a full defensive, but we shouldn’t underestimate their MAs.”

    “Staggering the units will help,” said Ace calmly, sharp blue eyes scanning the distance. “And the Eidolons. They’re sending the summoning squads in with the main force.”

    “What’s our move?” Eight inquired as he pulled at the straps on his gloves to adjust them. “I can’t imagine the main force is just going to stomp through the city.”

    Letting out a deep breath, Ace closed his eyes and let the sounds of the wind echo in his ears for a brief moment. It was almost time. “The vanguard should be approaching Ingram in less than an hour. Once the main force has finished moving out, we move in fast behind the vanguard after they’ve taken care of the military camps around Ingram. We’ll join them in breaching Ingram and take to the roofs when the main force arrives to take down any MAs that might be employed.”

    “We’ll be separating into three teams,” added Queen. “But with Machina missing…”

    An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. For the last month of missions, Machina had been conspicuously absent from their class with nary a word of explanation or even acknowledgment of the issue in the few times he did return to Akademeia. Not even Rem could explain the sudden and drastic shift in his behavior and between all the work and training they had for the missions, none of them had the time to demand an explanation of him.

    “What the hell is that idiot thinking?” huffed Cater, crossing her arms. “He didn’t really lose his nerve, did he?”

    “Who knows. We’ve barely seen him and no one’s talked to him since whenever,” Sice answered dryly. “Screw it. We can’t help and we shouldn’t bother with him.”

    “Sice is right. Regardless of what is happening with him, there is little we can do for him under these circumstances,” King said austerely. “We shouldn’t dwell on it.”

    “Machina...he…” started Rem in a soft, almost choked voice, drawing the others’ attention. She took a deep breath, before a cough shook her throat. Wordlessly, Seven patted her on the back and Rem nodded in thanks. “He said...he didn’t belong…”

    Deuce looked over at Rem, the tightening of Ace’s arm around her a silent sign of the question he wanted to ask. “You spoke with Machina recently, Rem?”

    “Yes.” Rem breathed in, her body shaking from the emotion and physical strain. “Before...before we left...he said he didn’t belong in Class Zero...but he…”

    Just then, a hard cough racked Rem’s body and she covered her mouth as she fell to a knee, prompting Seven and Jack to grasp her arms in support. Ace frowned. Despite what she insisted, Rem had been getting worse with her medical condition over the last couple months, especially in Machina’s absence. He could feel the concern from the others as well, most of all Deuce, whose hand on his chest had fisted into a tight grasp of his uniform tunic.

    “Rem.”

    The stern tone in Ace’s voice startled the dagger-wielder in her coughing and she looked at him slowly, eyes wide with surprise. While Ace did have an authoritative voice as the leader of Class Zero during missions, she had never quite heard him speak in such a cold and serious way, as if he were admonishing her. His face too was set in a grim form, giving her that sense of dread that she had gotten all too familiar with recently with Machina.

    “Y-Yes, Ace…?”

    “...Stay behind. You’re in no condition to go to Ingram.”

    Reddish eyes staring at Ace in shock, Rem held back another cough and shook her head. “N-No, no-no, I’m...I’m fine! Really! I can...I can fight. Alongside all of you. It’s...just a cough. The weather…”

    “The conditions are only going to get worse when we get to Ingram, Rem. If your body can’t handle it, it’ll be best for you to stay,” stated Ace, brow set in a furrow. “We can’t…”

    “It’s...it’s fine! I can handle it,” insisted Rem, the cold air around her suddenly seeming even colder than before. “You needn’t worry about me! I can keep up with everyone!”

    “Are you sure about this, Rem?” asked Deuce worriedly. “You haven’t been feeling well recently either. And this battle won’t be…”

    “I can’t sit back for this...I can’t let you all down, let the dominion down...please...” Rem said, her voice growing increasingly more ragged as she spoke. “Please...I won’t slow you all down...I promise.”

    Queen sighed. “If you really want to fight, we can’t stop you. But Ace and Deuce are right. You’re not in full condition and Ingram will be hard on you. We won’t be able to help during the battle.”

    “Machy should be here…” murmured Cinque quietly. “He could help Remski.”

    “Yeah, stupid Machina,” Cater grumbled in agreement. “If his head wasn’t up his own ass, he could see that he’s needed by someone here.”

    Shushing the two behind her, Seven rubbed Rem’s back comfortingly as she and Jack pulled Rem back into a standing position. “You need to take care of yourself too, Rem. We’re all concerned and this mission will take a lot out of you if you go.”

    “I know. And I’m so grateful...to all of you for your concern and friendship…” Rem breathed out. “But I’ll fight. Until the end. I will.”

    Letting out a deep sigh through his nose, Ace reached into his satchel with his free hand. To Deuce’s surprise, he pulled out a card, and out of the corner of her eye, could recognize that it was a card to cast a sleeping spell. Deuce pressed her hand against his chest, eyes questioning, and he gave her a gentle, reassuring mutter before turning back to Rem.

    “If you’re coming with us, Rem, then I’m going to impose a condition. Otherwise, you’re staying here,” announced Ace solemnly. “If any of us deem that you can’t go on fighting in Ingram, you will obey my order to withdraw. No questions, no protests. Okay?”

    Rem paused, stifling another cough as she looked at Ace. How fortunate she was to have friends who cared about her so. Even if they didn’t agree with the decision, they were giving her a chance despite the failure in her body, despite everything that was happening. Slowly, she nodded in assent. “Y-Yes. I will, I promise.”

 

* * *

 

    “A Wh-White Tiger l’Cie!”

    A rumbling sigh on his lips, Machina gripped his drill rapiers and charged forward. His head pounded with pain from the constant buzzing in the back of his mind, the Crystal hissing its demands to him with every step he took. Shrugging off a blizzard spell from the legionary in front of him, he swung and turned to the next legionary, the impacted head of his previous victim meeting the ground with a sickening thump.

    The power of a l’Cie was great indeed. So what if he was killing his countrymen, his former schoolmates? So what if he had to give up his sense of self, his free will? So what if he was slowly losing all his emotions, his humanity? This power was what he needed. He could save Rem. That’s all that mattered. As long as he had the power to save Rem…

    Wait. Was she _here_ ? Were _they_ here?

    Machina stopped, brow furrowing behind his White Tiger mask. It would make sense for her to be here in Ingram. This was the last battle, no matter how much the Militesi hoped that they could fend off the Rubrumites. The dominion had spent a great deal of effort and manpower to conquer the rest of Orience and Class Zero had been the dominion’s saving grace for the entire war. They had to be here.

    “Rem…”

 

* * *

 

    “Queen, Eight, how are things looking on your end?”

    Pausing as he waited for a reply on the COMM, Ace glanced around, eyes scanning the distant rooftops and then the streets below them. Ingram was just as cold and dismal as the first time they had been here, but unlike then, they had backup and they were on the attack. The clinks and blasts of MAs moving through the streets rang through the air, along with the yells of cadets, legionaries, and troopers, and the roars and rumbles of Eidolons. It was all-out war on both sides—the past year had whittled down military resources for both Rubrum and Milites. Whoever won this battle would win the war.

    “Nothing out of the ordinary thus far,” answered Queen, her voice steady on the COMM. “The enemy troops did not expect us to be on the rooftops. We just took out a couple communications officers.”

    “Helldivers incoming from the north,” Eight reported. “We’re going to take out as many as they can, but the rest will be headed your way soon.”

    “No sign of Cid Aulstyne or any commanding officers?” inquired Ace, tossing a card down at a Colossus MA and cutting its fuel supply. He watched as the MA crumpled to the ground and exploded, allowing the advancing cadets to move past safely. “That’s strange…”

    All of the sudden, Queen gave a “What?” and Ace could hear the sound of King’s voice muffled in the background of her COMM. “General Bashtar?”

    “Seven and Sice are listening in on the communications lines from the communications officers we took out,” explained King on the COMM. “They’re telling the MA troops to focus on the Eidolons so that General Bashtar and his Helldiver squadron can come in safely.”

    “Bashtar? Was that the guy piloting the flying MA at Togoreth?” Cater chimed in. “Ugh, he was so annoying.”

    “The Eidolons are too spread out for us to be able to help all of them,” grumbled Ace. “We should focus on taking out the General and his squad. Stay on the roofs.”

    “Understood,” replied Queen, King, and Eight before the line went quiet again.

    Just then, Ace looked up at the sound of Rem coughing some ways behind him and he frowned. Rem had been coughing all through this last month’s campaign, but today was the worst he had heard out of her in almost the entire time he had known her. It would have been better if she had stayed in the base camp, but she was tough and stubborn despite her fading health. That much he could admire.

    “Hey-hey, you okay there, Rem?” Jack asked, reaching his arm out to catch Rem as she started falling forward to her knees. “Don’t push yourself, yeah?”

    “I-I’m fine, Jack. Thank you,” said Rem, her hand placed on her chest. “The air is just...difficult for me to breathe in. I’m sorry to trouble you all…”

    A gentle tug on his sleeve drew his attention then and Ace turned to see Deuce grasping his jacket, her attention on the side street below them. “Something wrong, Deuce?” Ace asked in a low voice.

    “Is that…?” she began, pointing at a white-mantled figure currently attacking a Golem.

    Squinting slightly, Ace bent over to peer over the edge of the roof and watched as the figure kicked aside the rubble of the Eidolon and turned to the legionaries at the end of the street. His eyes widened. That mantle and those weapons looked awfully familiar, despite the different coloration. And the way the figure moved...he had analyzed that very fighting style before.

    “Machina…” whispered Ace, careful to keep his voice low so that Rem and Jack couldn’t hear him. “It can’t be…”

    Deuce’s grip on his sleeve tightened, the uneasy look on her face reflecting his own. “He...Why would he…?”

    “That mask...it belonged to the l’Cie we fought during the liberation. Qun’mi? The Section 4 reports said she disappeared after the attack on Lorica...” Ace rambled, his mind racing to make sense of it all. “...He inherited her powers...somehow. When we were in Lorica…?”

    “What do we do…?” murmured Deuce, shaking slightly. “He’s…”

    Heaving a heavy sigh, Ace drew back and straightened up again. “He’s a White Tiger l’Cie now, a slave to the White Tiger Crystal and Cid Aulstyne. If we try to stop him, he will probably try to kill us. It’s too risky. We should move on, focus on Bashtar and the other commanding officers.”

    “Should we...tell Rem?” Deuce slid her hand down his arm, taking his hand and squeezing it for comfort. “I don’t...she should know, but...it would break her heart, Ace.”

    “No. She’s under enough stress as it is,” he muttered, squeezing her hand back. “Keep it from her as long as we can. Let her keep her mind on the mission. We can deal with Machina later...when the battle is over. The others will need to know too.”

    With a nod, Ace took one last look at the carnage on the street below and the silver mantle moving away from his line of sight before turning his attention to the north. Eyes back on the horizon, Ace could make out the gradually approaching Helldivers that Eight had reported. Moments later, explosions rang out in the distance and several of the MAs disappeared. Trey, Cater, Eight, and Cinque were working fast.

    “Oi, Ace! Where we going, huh?” yelled Nine from the other side of the roof, effortlessly tossing a trooper’s body to the side. “We’re done here, yo!”

    “That way!”

 

* * *

 

    “Enemy magitek armor detected—it’s Qator! Class Zero, engage at once!”

    As soon as the order came through on the COMM, Ace looked to the horizon, reaching into his satchel to pull out more cards. The COMM officer sounded mildly panicked, indicating that the enemy was likely coming in fast. “Get ready,” commanded Ace to Deuce, Jack, Nine, and Rem before tapping the button on the back of his COMM device. “Everyone else, converge on our coordinates.”

    The whoosh of the flying MA Gabriel came in, accompanied with a large gust of wind and snow. “Is this a reprisal as well? To think I’d run into you all so soon!” said Qator over the speaker on his MA. The General almost sounded excited at the prospect of a rematch with the crimson-caped cadets.

    “Looks like he’s gotten some upgrades since we saw him last,” observed Ace as the Gabriel slowed to face them. “This won’t be easy.”

    “Heh, I’ll crack that flying tin can open,” sneered Nine, brandishing his spear. “Bring it!”

    “Nine, Jack, and I will keep his attention until the others get here,” Ace instructed, nudging Deuce closer to Rem. “You two provide support and keep out of his range.”

    With that, he turned and ran in after Jack and Nine, who were already charging at the enemy. He could hear Deuce start to play her melody behind him, his magic building in his body as he ducked under a swipe from the MA and tossed a card at its joint. A clink rang out as his card rebounded off the metal and he huffed. The MA’s armor had clearly been upgraded along with the design.

    “Is that all? That’s too bad,” quipped Qator. “You will receive your just reprisal!”

    “That armor can’t block everything,” Ace grunted, raising his free hand. Lightning shot out from his fingers, only to dissipate as it met the MA. There was apparently a magic barrier on the armor as well.

    “Saw that coming.” The Gabriel lurched forward, swiping at Nine, who jumped to the side.

    “This guy’s crazy fast!” exclaimed Jack before dropping into a roll to avoid another swing. “Any ideas, Ace?”

    Out of the corner of his eye, Ace could see a shimmer from a nearby rooftop and he gave a small grin, despite the situation. “Yeah. Follow my lead.”

    “Well? Your move!” Qator taunted them.

    Dashing forward, Ace teleported through the Gabriel to get behind it, sharp blue eyes quickly scanning the back of the magitek armor. As well-covered the machine was with its armor and magic shield, there still had to be flexible, vulnerable points in order for it to move, let alone fly. Swiftly, he threw a bomb-form fire spell at the MA’s base, forcing the Gabriel off the rooftop from the blast. Spinning around from casting smoothly, he tossed a set of cards.

    Qator shifted to the side, dodging the attack with a huff. “Too slow. What are you aiming at?”

    “You talk too much,” retorted Ace with a smirk before his cards in the air exploded, disrupting the air around the flying MA and causing it to lurch to the side for a moment.

    His grip on his sword tightening, Jack raised an eyebrow at Ace. “Well, that was cool, but—”

    “About time!” shouted Cater, opening fire on the Gabriel’s wings from the nearby roof with Trey and King as the others jumped across to join Ace. “Take him down!”

    “His MA has a magitek barrier against magic on it. The generator is on the back, under the left wing joint. Eight, Cinque, keep his attention. Seven, Sice, Queen, keep him grounded. Nine, as soon as you get the chance, jump onto him and destroy that generator,” Ace instructed, the COMM crackling with his harried words. “Once we get the barrier down, we’ll be able to damage the MA fast.”

    “...I’ll never doubt you again, Ace,” said Jack, a look of utter amazement on his face.

    “Get in there and help Eight and Cinque,” ordered Ace, rolling his eyes at Jack’s response. “We’re almost at the end here.”

    “We’ve defeated the Sixth Milites fleet! All clear in Airspace 04!” came an army-wide broadcast from the main COMM officer. “Everything is going smoothly. We should have the white stronghold destroyed sooner than planned. Eighty percent of the imperial capital is under our occupation. Victory is within our reach.”

    “What?” huffed Qator as the magitek barrier fell and the generator crackled futilely. An amused smirk curled his lip. “Hmmm. You’ve got skill. This isn’t over yet. Time to cut you down to size.”

    The guns on the Gabriel clicked before letting out a barrage of bullets, causing the teenagers to jump apart, dodging and rolling to either side of the machine. Rolling onto her feet, Seven cast a blizzard spell onto the feet of the MA, with Eight following suit.

    “Nine, quit screwing around up there!” snapped Sice, ducking to avoid a jab. “The guns!”

    “Graaaah!” roared Nine, leaping into the air once more and landing on the top of the machine with a loud clunk, his spear piercing through the top layer of the MA’s protective covering. “You got it!”

    A rough grunt escaping his lips as he felt the impact, Qator reached for another section of his controls. “That was pretty sharp. Behind my corpse, a path will remain.”

    “Nine’s off! Hit him now!” ordered Ace, the others moving in to attack at his word.

    To Qator’s surprise, the Gabriel suddenly lurched again, the crackles of electricity from broken or damaged parts of the MA hissing loudly in his ears. “The difference in momentum is too great. I must have overdone it a little. I need to get back to base…hmm?” Qator paused as an alarm began to blare inside the machine and his eyes snapped to the display screen. “Wha—? This signal...Ultima?!”

    The blaring of the alarm inside the Gabriel startled the teenagers, prompting them to back away just in time for the MA to blast its rockets full power and take to the skies. They watched as Qator piloted the Gabriel higher and higher into the clouds until he was no longer visible.

    “What the hell…?” snarled Nine, glaring up at the sky.

    At that, a bright flash filled the sky and the distant rumble of a massive explosion followed. Speechless, the members of Class Zero turned to look at each other, questioning expressions on all of their faces. One moment they were fighting, and the next, their enemy just took off and exploded.

    “He...blew up?” Cater questioned after hopping over from the other roof with King and Trey, earning hesitant nods from the others. “Oh, that’s so cheap!”

    “It sounded like something went wrong,” said Queen, putting a hand to her chin thoughtfully. “We could hear that alarm going off…”

    “So...is it over?” asked Jack. “We beat the General guy and…”

    Letting out a deep breath as Deuce and Rem came up beside him, Ace flipped a switch on his COMM. “Mog, we just engaged General Qator Bashtar in battle. After we defeated him, his MA flew into the atmosphere and appeared to explode. Awaiting further orders.”

    “Mission accomplished! I’m glad you’re all okay, kupo!” chirped Mog through the COMM. “The dominion forces have just located Cid Aulstyne and are forcing a surrender! We’ve won, kupo!”

    Relieved sighs went through the circle of teenagers at the news and Ace nodded, sliding an arm around Deuce to pull her against him. The snow had been disrupted during their fight with Bashtar, but was now starting anew and he was starting to feel the chill again. “Where’s our extraction point, Mog?”

    “Izumo has your coordinates and is enroute, kupo! He’ll bring you home soon!”

    Flicking off the switch, Ace heaved another deep sigh as the others began to relax. The war was finally won. Rubrum prevailed against all odds to fight back against all the other nations and to unite Orience. In the back of his mind, he prayed that it was enough to save Machina, now that the White Tiger Crystal was no longer under Cid Aulstyne’s control.

    “I hope Mother is proud of us when we get back,” remarked Cinque. “We kicked all the butt!”

    “I’m sure she’ll come find us when we return,” Seven assured Cinque, patting the younger girl on the shoulder. “We will have time after all.”

    King gave a small laugh. “I suppose the dominion will be celebrating for the next week. We will have plenty of free time without missions as frequent as they were.”

    “Oh, naps for days!” cheered Jack, sitting down and stretching out his legs. “I’m a fan.”

    “That would be ill-advised, Jack,” Trey said, putting a hand to his hip. “Ideally, one should nap for approximately 90 minutes, which is the length of one full sleep cycle, including all the light and deep stages of sleep. Most importantly, you are able to enter the REM and dreaming stages of sleep…”

    Sice groaned, throwing her head back and turning away from the group. “Is he seriously lecturing us about _sleep_ right now, of all things?”

    Chuckling at the group’s antics, Ace looked around at the others. His gaze drew across the group, from Rem catching her breath near him to King, Queen, and Seven amusedly watching Jack, Cinque, and Sice protest to Trey’s long-winded explanation about sleep cycles to Cater and Eight laughing at accidentally stumbling into each other in their exhaustion. It was the first time in months that he had seen everyone so relaxed, the strain of constant training and missions taking its toll on even the most energetic of them, himself included. Though they weren’t completely finished with their work, the worst of the many trials and tribulations that had come at them during the war seemed to have passed, and the others seemed to pick up on that. After all, they were still here, together.

    The touch of soft fingertips against his cheek drew him out of his musing and Ace turned to see Deuce looking up at him, the tender expression on her face prompting him to smile. Letting his other hand slide around her back, he drew her in front of him, his smile only widening as she stepped between his feet to wrap her arms around his neck and press herself flush against his front in a warm, intimate embrace. Affectionately, he buried his nose into her scarf, nuzzling her neck.

    “We really did it...” she whispered in his ear, as if she was just starting to take in the realization. So much had changed since their moment at the chocobo ranch, his steadfast support and reassurance giving her the strength to fight in this war. Excitement welled up in her chest, the thought of their future together causing an ardent warmth to build within her.

    “Yeah,” he replied, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “So, ready to plan a wedding?”

    “Of course. As long as you’re beside me,” she said before raising herself on the balls of her feet, meeting his gaze and admiring the softness in his eyes that he reserved only for her. “Mmm…”

    Another chuckle escaped him at the wordless request in her features. It was appropriate, he supposed. They did just win a war. Leaning in, he let their noses brush and then captured her lips with his own, his mind completely devoid of thoughts of the others potentially staring for once. Her hands fisted in the back of his hair as she mumbled her approval against his mouth. She would have pulled him closer if there was any space between them.

    “...We are so going to spend some time alone tonight,” he rumbled in a low, husky growl as they parted, drawing a blush to her cheeks at his implication. “Be ready.”

    “Oh, Ace…” Deuce giggled, sliding a hand to his chest and giving him a light shove. He smirked, smugly pulling her close again and eliciting more giggles from her. “You…”

    “Oh, gag, you two!” Cater blurted out of the blue, interrupting their exchange. “You couldn’t wait until we got on the airship?”

    Rolling his eyes, Ace turned to see the others staring at the two of them with entertained looks on their faces. Her blush deepening, Deuce laid her head against his collarbone, nestling into his embrace for comfort. “Get used to it,” responded Ace dryly.

    Suddenly, the air grew heavy and Ace tensed, his trained body instantly reacting to a force that his mind had yet to perceive. Almost immediately following, Deuce flinched, both at the sensation and at Ace’s arms unexpectedly tightening around her. Gradually, the others began to sense the change, one-by-one, each stopping, looking around and then at each other nervously and confusedly.

    “What...was that?” asked Cater slowly, her pistol materializing in her hand.

    Jack blinked, his jaw dropping slightly as he looked up. “Uhhh, so...what are the chances that explosion did something funky and just turned the sky red for a while?”

    The teenagers turned their attention to the sky, which had inexplicably turned a deep shade of crimson. The air was bathed in the same color, leaving an eerie feel in the silence that fell over the group.

    “Aah…!”

    “Rem?!”

 

* * *

 

    “We have arrived.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So admittedly, I've been having a little bit of trouble actually finishing this piece. Partially because work has been demanding, but mostly because of the ending. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. But I'm committed to finishing it, I promise!
> 
> I've also got my next work outlined now, so look forward to that coming once this one is finished!


	15. Written in Legend

    “So...the skies are red, the seas are black, how much creepier do you think we can get?”

    “There is a thing called ‘tempting fate,’ Jack,” deadpanned King, crossing his arms. “And we already seem to be in the midst of something...beyond us.”

    “What gave you that idea?” Sice retorted with a huff. “The red sky, the bloody clouds and rain, or the black seawater?”

    Giving a thoughtful hum, Eight leaned forward against the rail of the airship, his gaze on the crimson horizon. “Yeah. It was definitely unexpected…But I don’t know if we can do much about it until we get back to Akademeia.”

    “And all this happens right as we claim victory over Milites…” Trey remarked, his hand on his chin as he thought out loud. “Perhaps…”

    Just then, the cabin door behind them opened and the group turned to see Ace walking out, followed by Deuce and then Queen. Arm around Ace’s, Deuce had a worried look on her face, eyes directed downward as her fingers curled around his bicep for comfort. In contrast, Ace and Queen both had blank expressions on their faces, emotions hidden behind steeled eyes.

    “Hey-hey, is Remski okay?” asked Cinque with a tilt of her head.

    “She’s...stable for now,” Queen answered, adjusting her glasses. “But it’s clear that she pushed herself too hard during the mission. We did what we could for her in terms of healing injuries and the like, but she needs rest. Seven is going to watch over her.”

    “It was likely difficult for her,” King rumbled. “She felt the need to serve and help us, but the limitations of her ailing body must have been hard to bear.”

    “She should be better after some rest,” Ace commented, turning his head to look over each one of them. Though their attitudes didn’t quite show it, the somewhat haggard appearances of his classmates was telling enough of their collective exhaustion. “...It will take several hours to get back to Akademeia. We should rest as well. It’s...been a long day.”

    Nodding in agreement, the group dispersed, each teenager heading into one of the cabins along the side of the airship. They were the only passengers on this airship, the old airship pilot Izumo and his crew having pulled away from the dominion’s main air force regiment at Ingram to pick them up, and there were plenty of empty cabins for them to rest in. As used as the pseudo-siblings were to sharing rooms on missions, it was nice to have separate rooms on the airship for once, especially after the last battle they had.

    Watching as the others went into their rooms, Ace sighed, placing a hand over the one Deuce had on his arm. Their rings clinked softly as he did so, drawing his gaze, and she looked up at him, lips parting to speak. “We should rest too, Ace…”

    “Yeah,” he responded simply.

    There were too many things happening, too many questions to be answered, too much confusion for everyone. And yet, true to his nature, he was trying to process it all. Following such a hectic day, he was starting to feel worn down in every sense.

    With a nod of agreement, Deuce grasped his arm again and pulled him into the empty cabin next to the one Rem was in. Quietly, he closed the door behind them, quickly examining their room. The cabin was simple: a bed against the far wall, a small table and chair, and a coat rack, but with carpet and decorations that indicated its usual reservation for tribunes and other high-ranking officials. It seemed comfortable enough for a couple hours’ rest.

    Attention suddenly drawn out of his thoughts by the sensation of Deuce’s hand placed gently against his cheek, Ace turned his head to look at her. Her thumb brushed the side of his lips and he leaned toward her touch, eyes softening as he met her gaze. They were both tired, that much was clear from their faces, and now, the victory they had won for the dominion seemed almost inconsequential compared to what insanity was befalling with the world—not to mention Rem and Machina.

    “Are you okay, Ace?”

    “...Just tired,” he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her palm. “And you know…”

    She gave a soft, understanding hum, hand drifting down from his jaw to his neck and pulling on the clasp of his mantle. Letting out a deep breath, he relaxed at the feel of her hands on him. The comfort and familiarity of their little ritual of undressing each other to rest after missions was the only thing Ace could wrap his head around at the moment and he couldn’t be more thankful for the constant Deuce was in his life. He leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the side of her head as she tugged on the red cloth of his mantle and placed it on the table before moving her hands back to the first belt on his jacket.

    “Mmm...there are so many troubling things happening now…” Deuce said in a quiet voice, carefully pulling the belt out through the buckle. “So much we don’t understand…”

    “Yeah,” agreed Ace, furrowing his brow. “And with Rem and Machina...”

    Concern coloring her face, Deuce pulled off his jacket with a sigh. Resting her hands on his chest after setting his jacket on the chair, she looked up at him again. “I can’t believe that Machina would...do you think that Machina has been hiding it from us all this time?”

    “He...I don’t know. He started acting weird after we came back from Ingram the first time, but…” Ace paused, mind turning at the statement he had made. “I guess…”

    The thought of where Machina had gotten l’Cie powers had only briefly crossed his mind during the hustle and bustle of the mission, but the fact that Machina had been wearing Qun’mi’s mask was no coincidence. Before they reached Lorica, the Commandant had stoked Machina’s fear of being forgotten and forgetting with talk of Izana and of not being strong enough to protect Rem, causing Machina to argue with the rest of the group and storm off from their camp. From there, he must have come across Qun’mi somewhere near the Lorican crater, where she was last reported during the Militesi operation that detonated an Ultima Bomb on Lorica. It would explain why Machina had started becoming more and more reclusive as time passed afterward and why he had been missing for every mission against Milites.

    “He can’t be changed back, can he?” Deuce murmured in more of a statement than a question, shifting her head as Ace undid the clip on her mantle and slid it off. “Not even Mother could…”

    Ace shook his head. “He’s a White Tiger l’Cie now. Even if the White Tiger Crystal isn’t under Militesi control anymore, it won’t change the fact that he’s...he’d be a liability for the dominion, if they found out. There won’t be a clean way to resolve this.”

    “And Rem...she…”

    Not wanting to finish the thought, Deuce looked up at Ace as he unbuckled her jacket and pushed it off her shoulders. She had taken to wearing some of his older undershirts that he had outgrown when they went out for missions, the warmth and comfort they provided especially helpful in the colder climate of Milites. Though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, the way he usually would look at her when he saw her wearing his clothes was something that she found rather amusing. It was one of the few things she could tease him about. But this time, they were both too plagued with the worries of everything that happened for their usual banter.

    Wordlessly, he stepped forward and she backed into the bed, sitting down on the edge as he quickly pulled her shoes off and then slid out of his own. Turning to climb onto the bed fully, she slowly moved closer to the wall to give him space to join her, wobbling as the mattress sank on the other side at Ace lying down. Before she could turn back around to face him, his arm slid around her, pulling her closer to press her back against his chest. His hand slowly slid under her undershirt, warm fingers splayed against her bare stomach.

    It was obvious from their sluggish movements that the exhaustion from the day, both mentally and physically, was starting to catch up to them. Letting out a yawn, Ace slid his other arm under the pillow, loosening his hold on her as she wiggled slightly to get comfortable. Despite how nice it was to finally rest their bodies, Deuce continued to shift every few moments even after Ace raised his head to stare at her, unable to shake the heavy feeling in her chest.

    “You okay?” Ace muttered, eyebrow raised questioningly.  “You’re not hurt, are you?”

    Sighing, she turned her head to look at him. “...No, I’m just worried…”

    “About Machina and Rem?”

    “Yes...but also what’s happening outside,” she said softly, placing a hand on the one he had on her belly. “I thought when the war ended, we would finally be at peace, but...this...how do we deal with this?”

    A moment passed as he contemplated what to say and how to say it. She was usually the more optimistic one between the two of them, despite being more vocal about her worries, but it was hard to be hopeful and confident in the situation they were in now. Resting his collarbone against the back of her shoulder, he pulled her closer and nudged her hair aside with his nose.

    “Together, like we always do. As long as we’re together, we’ll find a way.”

    Murmuring incoherently in approval as Ace nuzzled her, she squeezed his hand and tilted her head back to let him press a line of kisses across her neck. His fingers rubbed tiny circles against her skin, lightly massaging away the tension in her body. Any other time, his actions would have seemed amorous, but they were both tired, and she could tell that this was more for her comfort than anything else.

    “Thank you…” she mumbled, eyes already half-closed when he settled back against the pillow and placed his chin on her shoulder.

    “It’s going to be okay, Deuce…”

 

* * *

 

    “Bridge to Class Zero, Bridge to Class Zero. This is Izumo speaking.”

    Slowly opening an eye at the sound of the intercom in the room, Ace took a deep breath. How long had they been asleep? Were they already back at Akademeia? He blinked, scrunching his brow as he lifted his head and focused his bleary eyes. Beside him, Deuce shifted under his arm, tilting her head back to look at him sleepily.

    “We’re approaching Akademeia, but COMM contact with the operator seems to indicate that there’s something going on. They can’t help us clear the landing site, so we can’t land at the Airship Landing,” said Izumo, the jovial old airship pilot sounding a little more irritated than he usually did. “We can’t stay in the air forever, so I’m going to land near McTighe. If you want to go back to Akademeia, you can get there easy enough. But...judging from what I heard on the COMM, it might not be safe to return. It may be better that we stay put for the time being.”

    The intercom turned off with a click. Letting out a sigh, Ace turned to Deuce, who was nibbling her lip worriedly. It seemed like the little rest that they could get on the airship was at an end and even their return home would be worrisome.

    “Ace…?”

    “...Hmm?”

    “We’re going back, aren’t we?”

    “Yeah, we can’t stay. We have to report to Mother. We have to go back.”

 

* * *

 

    “What...happened here?”

    The smell of blood and decay permeated the air of Akademeia, the red glow from the sky filtering into the entrance hall and giving the place a dreadfully otherworldly and frightening atmosphere. Carefully, the members of Class Zero stepped across the tiled floor that they had left from so many times, the eerie silence of the hall making them even more anxious than when they had crossed the bridge to the Capital and found no legionaries or guards around. Their steps echoed in the silence and they couldn’t help but clutch their weapons just a little bit tighter.

    “Look, there!” said Eight in a hushed voice, pointing at a female legionary lying on her side halfway between the main entrance doors and what little remained of the magical baffle gates that controlled passage into Akademeia proper.

    Quickly, the group made their way to the woman, Deuce and Seven bending down to examine her. There was a large slash across her torso, dark against her uniform, though there almost didn’t seem to be enough blood around given the size of the wound.

    “Dead,” Seven pronounced, shaking her head. “The blood is dry. This was more than an hour ago, maybe even while we were still in Milites.”

    “She’s not the only one,” rumbled King, eyes drawn ahead.

    Turning their gazes toward the front gates that led to the Fountain Courtyard, they could see at least half a dozen more bodies on the ground, legionaries and cadets alike, along with the glinting silver of knowing tags. That, combined with the broken structures of the entrance hall, were more than enough to draw the conclusion of a battle occurring here.

    Death was no stranger, not anymore. The war had made them familiar with the pain, the suffering, the fear, and it changed them. They had seen this during the liberation of the Capital and of Akademeia at war’s beginning, and even so, the sight burned in their minds. Memories of the dead no longer remained, but the spectacle of death in war would.

    “Keep your guards up,” Ace instructed, stepping around the body of a fallen pink-mantled cadet. “Eight, Cater, and I will take lead. King, Trey, and Cinque, guard the rear. Sice, Nine, flank Jack while he’s carrying Rem. We need to get inside and find Mother. She’ll know what to do.”

    Nods of acknowledgment went through the group and they moved into formation, wary and watching their surroundings. Carefully, Eight pushed open the front gates.

    A burning light behind Akademeia greeted them, a gold sigil in the center of a sphere of spiraling flames and rotating cogs, causing the teenagers to squint slightly. There was some sort of floating structure above the sea behind their home, a mysterious yet ominous sight.

    “What the hell is that?”

    Cater’s question seemed to hang in the misty, crimson-hued air that grew thicker with every moment since the skies had turned red. Eyes fixed on the strange building in the sky before them, Trey swallowed, shaking his head slightly. “I...couldn’t say at this moment...that structure seems…”

    “Not that!” snapped Cater, pistol in hand pointed forward. “THAT!”

    In the distance near the courtyard proper, they could make out a figure almost as tall as the phoenix statue that stood as the centerpiece of the fountain. They watched it intently as it stepped closer. It moved with purpose, walking on air like a ghost and fading in and out of visibility. When it made its way onto the road toward them, they could see its expressionless face, the only part of the figure visible under its sleek yet ornate armor, and the glowing blade that it held in its hand.

    “Think that’s what killed the others?” King questioned, eyes narrowing.

    “Well, it doesn’t look friendly, at any rate,” responded Eight, fists already up and clenched.

    “There’s something strange about this,” Ace muttered, a niggling suspicion at the back of his mind. “I don’t think we should fight this thing if we can help it. We need to get Rem inside.”

    “We could split up,” suggested Queen, coming up beside him. “A team to distract and a team to secure our path into the building?”

    Ace nodded. “Eight, Cinque, Nine, Sice, King, with me. The rest of you head for the doors once we get its attention. Give us the signal to break off when the doors are open. Trey and Cater, provide cover fire.”

    “Understood!”

 

* * *

 

    “Class Zero...you came back.”

    The small voice of a female cadet with a brown mantle and blonde hair, a member of Class Ninth, greeted the group as they stepped through the entrance doors to Akademeia, blood still pumping and nerves still on edge from their brief encounter with the unknown figure. It had suddenly vanished moments after they engaged it, though they had still been cautious about approaching and opening the doors to enter. Perhaps they would get some answers, now that they were inside.

    “We’ve just returned from Milites,” said Queen, adjusting her glasses as King stepped over to look out one of the front windows. “Could you tell us what happened?”

    “To be honest, I’m not sure. It all happened so quickly,” said the cadet, voice trembling as she spoke. “The sky turned red and the seas turned black all of the sudden. Then that...temple rose out of the sea behind Akademeia and those...monsters started appearing. They started killing everyone.”

    “We saw the bodies,” Queen answered. “Was there no counteroffensive launched?”

    Shaking her head, the Class Ninth cadet let out a muffled whimper. “...I don’t know. We lost all contact with the division heads. There was...no one to lead us. We tried...so many of us tried to fight off those monsters, but…”

    Ace turned his head, sharp blue eyes examining the entrance hall and the people inside. Like he had seen outside, there were bodies of fallen cadets and legionaries alike all around, most likely those who had fought the mysterious creatures and succumbed to their wounds after others had brought them inside. Those still alive, the few that were here, were huddled in little groups together, terrified.

    “What do we do about this then?” Eight asked with a sigh.

    Just then, the voice of a male cadet rang through the COMM. “We’re doomed! It’s all over! It’s Tempus Finis! Those Rursus will massacre every last one of us!”

    “Calm down. Everyone’s scared enough already,” instructed Seven.

    “Shut up! You started this! Everything went downhill when Class Zero got here! Yeah, ‘legendary Class Zero,’ my foot!”

    Letting out a sigh, Ace shut his eyes briefly, trying to stave off the headache that had been building since they got off the airship. Of course people were blaming them, just like they did after the Concordian Queen’s assassination—how quickly people changed their tunes in times of strife. Ever since they came to Akademeia, Class Zero had been at the forefront of the dominion’s offensive capabilities in the war, framed by the attention of cadets, legionaries, and citizens alike, and therefore subject to both the people’s adoration and ire.

    Trey frowned, his brow furrowing in uncharacteristic irritation. “Do you intend to stand there and blame all your life’s problems on other people?”

    “You messed up the dominion. You messed up all of Orience! You’re not Agito Cadets—you’re the devils that brought Tempus Finis!”

    “If you have time to yell at people, why not come up with something more constructive to do?” Trey shot back.

    “‘Constructive?’ Ha! They can take out whole squads of cadets—and we can’t even heal! So you want us to run? Run where? How!? What do we do? How are we supposed to survive!? There’s nowhere to run. We’re all going to die. It’s over…”

    “This is bad. Panic’s gonna spread,” Seven said quietly, just loud enough for the others to hear.

    Hands clutching Ace’s arm, Deuce turned to the Class Ninth cadet with a question on her lips. “What did he mean...you can’t heal?”

    “The monsters...the...Rursus...we can’t heal the wounds they inflict with our magic. Not even the Class Fourth or Seventh cadets left have been able to find a way. And any damage we inflict on them is futile, it seems. They regenerate and come back, even if we manage to defeat one…”

    “That does seem...troublesome,” King said solemnly. “Even so, we can’t just stay here forever.”

    Giving a nod of agreement at King’s statement, Ace turned back to the female cadet. “You’re from Class Ninth, right? Can you go get any available doctors or healers? We have someone injured here, but it wasn’t from the Rursus…”

    “O-Of course!”

    Minutes later, the cadet returned with eight others, two bearing the mantles of Class Fourth, two the mantle of Class Ninth, and the last four wearing the coats of the Sorcery Division researchers. Evidently, Class Zero’s return to Akademeia had garnered much attention. The rest of Class Zero watched anxiously as the researchers and Class Fourth cadets examined Rem, murmuring observations and possible conclusions in hushed tones.

    One of the researchers stood. “Class Zero, you all know about phantoma, yes?”

    “Of course,” answered Queen.

    “Her phantoma is weak, almost depleted entirely,” proclaimed the researcher, wiping at his glasses. “I don’t know how she’s survived. This must have been an issue for _years_ for her phantoma to be in such a state. Perhaps the archsorceress found a way to slow it—I don’t know. But at this point...she may not awaken. Or if she does, she...her body would be very weak.”

    “What do we do then?” King inquired.

    The researcher let out a thoughtful hum. “...Her best chance, dare I say it, would be for the archsorceress to treat her. None of us have the ability to remedy her condition. We can take her to Dr. Al-Rashia’s office. It should be safe, but you’ve probably heard that the archsorceress has disappeared along with the other division heads…”

    “...Okay. Take her there,” Ace ordered as the others bowed their heads to show their agreement. “At the very least, it’ll be safe.”

    “Yes, it’ll be for the best,” said Deuce softly. “Hopefully…”

    “Wandering around won’t get us anywhere,” Ace stated, the others turning to him as the researchers took Rem away. “Let’s go back to Classroom Zero first and get on the same page.”

    As the members of Class Zero nodded and began to move, the female cadet stopped them once again. “Oh, wait! Just one more thing…someone...well...someone spread news of these...these documents about you all...all the secret missions you did during the war…” She paused, seeming to lose her nerve, but then mustering up the courage to continue. “Some terrible things...but they were for the dominion. I...well, I just thought you all should know...that’s why they’re scared of you too.”

 

* * *

 

    “They used to depend on us, all of them. Now they’ve turned against us.”

    A heavy atmosphere settled over Classroom Zero, the others lowering their heads at Ace’s words. The words of the Class Ninth cadet had been startling, in a way. Jealousy and envy, they were familiar with from the moment they entered Akademeia. But being feared and hated by those they had called comrades? That was hard to swallow.

    “Hmph! Fine, just let ‘em hate us!” huffed Cater, crossing her arms.

    “All we did was carry out the campaigns Mother and the dominion brass gave us,” said Seven.

    Placing his hands on his hips, Eight looked at Cater and Seven. “They just want some place to vent their anger.”

    “Or perhaps this is simply our fate,” Trey commented gravely. “As you know, those once hailed as heroes are doomed to be hunted as heathens.”

    “What the heck is going on!?” Cinque cried out, the frustration creeping into her usually peppy voice. “It makes no sense!”

    “Let’s calm down and assess the situation!” Queen raised a hand to her glasses, mind racing. “The main problem is...um...I think we first need to, y’know, um…”

    Jack grinned slightly. “Hahaha! You don’t see THAT every day! Queen’s panicking!”

    “I’ll have you know this is quite serious, Jack!” chided Deuce, gaze drifting over to the closed doors of Classroom Zero. “Rem...still hasn’t woken up.”

    “Yeah, she just passed out, and she’s been unconscious ever since,” murmured Cater. “Why didn’t she tell us she was sick?

    “She didn’t want us to worry—that must have been her reasoning,” King replied, earning a nod from Seven.

    “Yeah, that’s probably it,” Seven agreed. “She always did lie to us whenever we brought up health issues.”

    Cinque let out a surprised sound, voice holding a slight tinge of reverence as she spoke. “Wha—? Seven, you could tell when Remski was lying?”

    “Well, couldn’t everybody?”

    “Apparently, Rem’s been sick for a long time,” announced Eight. “Mother said that current science can’t cure her.”

    “The doctors all said her phantoma is in such a weakened state that she may never awaken again,” added Trey.

    Pursing his lips slightly, Jack held out a hand expressively. “You’re all bumming me out! Try to be a little more positive, would ya?”

    “Ugh! Yo, where’d that punk Machina go off to?” grumbled Nine, scratching his head irritatedly.  “Rem’s in trouble! She needs him, that jerk!”

    “Since all of us remember who Machina is, that’s proof that he’s still alive,” noted Seven.

    “Hah! So where is he then?” Sice sneered.

    Putting a hand up in thought, Trey lowered his gaze once more. “It feels as if Class Zero is beginning to fall apart.”

    “The gloom!” Jack groaned, sticking a hand on his head and tilting his head back in resignation. “It’s too much!”

    “But it’s hard not to be depressed in this situation…” mumbled Cinque.

    “Listen: acting all gloomy’s not gonna wake Rem up or find Machina,” said Jack, voice lilted with optimism. “If we don’t cheer up, we’ll just sink deeper and deeper until we drown in sadness.”

    King furrowed his brow. “But cheering up won’t change anything, either.”

    “It will, it will! If we stay positive, we can picture a brighter future! Then we can come up with better ideas!”

    A beat passed through the group, followed by a chorus of shocked gasps. Seven placed a hand on her hip, a thoughtful expression on her face.

    “Jack.”

    “Wh-what?”

    “For the first time in my life, I respect you.”

    “Aww, you’re making me blush!” laughed Jack, his hand extended in embarrassment before her words sunk in. “...Wait, that’s not a compliment!”

    Chuckling slightly, Ace relaxed his stance. “If we have time to worry, then we have time to do something, right? Let’s get some information.”

    With that, the group scattered, leaving Ace and Deuce standing at the front of the classroom. This wasn’t quite how they pictured their homecoming after the war, but they would deal with it—they had to.

    Suddenly, the familiar clicking of boot heels echoed on the front stage behind them, causing all of the teenagers to turn. Faces slowly contorted in surprise as they recognized the woman standing behind the main desk, pipe in hand, and a sound like the clap of thunder boomed, distorting all of their visions and making reality seem almost an illusion for a brief moment.

    “The seal has been broken, and the souls have been released.”

    Queen stepped back toward the front, putting a hand to the side of her glasses to push them up along her nose. “Mother? What happened?”

    “Will you children be able to make it?”

    “What?” responded Queen, taken aback by the aloofness of the one they had called Mother for all their lives.

    “Will you darlings be able to make it beyond the void, in spite of the minuscule—no, infinitesimal probability of success?”

    “Mother, what are you talking about?” asked Cater confusedly.

    “I want you all to write the final page yourselves,” replied Dr. Arecia, gesturing to all of them with her pipe. “None of you have ever chosen your own way of living—not once.”

    Eyes flickering with concern at the tone of their Mother’s voice, Ace squared his shoulders to face her. “We haven’t chosen our way of living?”

    The archsorceress paused, taking a drag from her smoking pipe before turning to Queen again. “Queen, you understand, don’t you?”

    Taking in everything that Dr. Arecia had said since entering, Queen put a hand to her chin in thought. “...You mean the Akashic Records?”

    “Precisely. Recorded in those pages are the Will of the Crystals—the cogs driving your destiny. All you have done throughout your lives is dutifully carry out the orders you’ve been given as written in the records.”

    Perhaps that was harder to take in than the situation itself. Everything they had gone through, everything they had gained and lost, was that really preordained? What of the choices that they had made in their lives? Had they only thought they were the ones making those choices when in truth, they were destined to make those choices?

    “That’s…” stammered Ace, unsure of what to make of the information.

    “So I want you to choose your own endings. This is the final freedom I give you as humans.” Dr. Arecia gave a slight nod, glancing over her glasses at all of them. “Yes, you are all human. Humans cannot choose how they are born. However, humans are the only ones who can choose how they live—and how they die. So choose, darlings, and inscribe the final page as you see fit.”

    In a blink, the archsorceress then vanished, leaving the teenagers shocked and flustered. Slowly, they looked around at each other, as if searching for answers amongst their group.

    “Boy, she was acting different,” remarked Jack, breaking the silence.

    “It was like she made even less sense than normal,” Nine rumbled, scratching his head in confusion. “My brain hurts! I mean, of course we’re human—right, hey?”

    “Mother told us to choose, but what exactly are we supposed to choose?” inquired Seven.

    “Everything’s muddled,” Ace muttered, brow creasing as his mind flipped through the recent events. “What is going on…?”

    Moglin hovered up to the front stage, taking hir spot above the desk. “We came all the way back to Akademeia to celebrate our victory, and those Rursus things showed up to crash our party, kupo!” ze chirped, the pom on hir head blinking. “And, to make matters worse, I can’t find Machina anywhere, kupo! At least Rem is okay, kupo. After she collapsed, some researchers from Sorcery took her back to Dr. Al-Rashia’s office. That’s the safest place she can be right now, so there’s no need to worry, kupo!”

    “I figured everyone would be falling all over us when we got back, but I didn’t mean literally, yo,” huffed Nine, crossing his arms. “Those guys really tore up the entrance. I can’t believe they started the party without us, yo!”

    “Nothing says ‘congratulations on your victory’ better than the sight of your home overrun with monsters and covered in the blood of your comrades. Welcome back,” Sice added, the sarcastic tone in her voice even more pronounced than usual. “It’s really thoughtful of the Rursus to regenerate like that. How did they know I couldn't bear to say goodbye?”

    Grasping Ace’s arm tighter, Deuce lowered her gaze. “Oh, how could this have happened? And I was so sure that we had finally woken from this terrible nightmare…How in Orience are we supposed to confront an enemy that cannot die? It seems utterly hopeless…”

    “I’d imagine that, right now, everyone all over the world is crying out for a savior,” Seven replied. “...And I suppose that, at this point, that savior is going to have to be us.”

 

* * *

 

    Sharp eyes looking forward warily, Ace strode through the halls of Akademeia with Deuce beside him, their entwined hands almost a necessary source of comfort for him in this trying situation. Very little about any of this was making sense to him and that bothered him.

    “Gathering intel’s fine. Just don’t overdo it,” King had said before they had left the classroom. “Negativity spreads like a virus. Don’t get infected.”

    “They destroyed the great portal…” murmured Deuce, squeezing Ace’s hand as they approached the rubble in the center of the entrance hall.

    “Destroying the great portal was our only way to prevent those Rursus things from following us,” explained the nearby dominion legionary, a blond woman with a partially torn legionary uniform. “I just hope the people we left with them are still all right…”

    “Many a cadet has passed through that great portal before you, but never again,” the old, bearded Dominion Tribune across from her stated, his voice slightly strained. “We must try to find solace, though, in knowing it shall remain a symbol of the day we successfully repelled the Rursus.”

    But despite the tribune’s words, the silence of the halls spoke volumes to Ace. “Akademeia never used to be this quiet,” Eight had observed as they walked out. “There were always a ton of kids running through the halls and making tons of noise. Of course, I can’t remember who those kids were or what kind of noise they were making. That just makes this place feel even emptier.” Ace could only agree.

    His face must have shown his worry, for it had attracted the attention of the Class Ninth Moogle and one of hir cadets as he and Deuce passed through the Crystarium.

    “You aren’t worried that word got out about Code Crimson, are you? It’s really not a big deal, kupo. After all, you kids aren’t the only ones taking on a bunch of dirty jobs for the dominion, kupo,” the dark-clad Moogle had told him. “Maybe you’ve already figured it out, but Class Ninth is actually a group of highly skilled assassins comprised of members from Intel’s Section Four and its reserve cadets, kupo. All of your Code Crimson orders are actually just hand-me-down missions that my cadets either wouldn’t or couldn’t deal with, kupo. Now that I think about it, you kids are pretty similar, kupo.”

    The Class Ninth cadet had nodded in agreement and added, “This isn’t your fault. You were just doing the dirty work no one else wanted to do. Don’t let the others get to you—they’re looking for a scapegoat, that’s all.”

    While that may have been true, it didn’t make him feel any better. And try as he might, Ace couldn’t force out the positivity like Jack could. “Don’t tell me you’re surprised that I said something clever back there. I’ll have you know that the only thing sharper than the blade of my katana is my rapier wit,” Jack had remarked with a chuckle when Ace and Deuce had approached earlier. “Sure, being a constant wellspring of positivity isn’t always as easy as it looks, but the only way to get through the whole ‘oh no, the apocalypse is upon us’ thing is to just laugh it off.”

    They reached Central Command and Deuce gave him a concerned look, placing her free hand against his chest as he raised his hand to push the door open. “I’m fine,” he whispered, bowing his head to place a light kiss on her fingers. “Just need some answers.”

    “Machina hasn’t truly gone missing at a time like this, has he? That’s quite uncharacteristic of him, kupo…” the Class Second Moogle squeaked at Queen when the two of them walked in, the bespectacled girl having been several paces ahead of them. “You Class Nothing cadets haven’t been bullying him, have you!?”

    An irritated look on her face, Queen brushed the Moogle aside as a dark-skinned Sorcery Researcher approached the three of them. “There you are, Class Zero! I’ve been searching high and low for you cadets. You see, I’ve discovered a way to vanquish the Rursus, but you’re the only ones to whom I can reveal the secret! I presume you already know that the Rursus will revive themselves no matter how many times you slay them, correct? The trick, however, is to destroy their phantoma! If you harvest their phantoma, you will be able to halt their regenerative process—and since you cadets are the only ones aware of phantoma’s existence, only you can defeat these fiends! Good luck!”

    “I hate to admit it, but there is very little we can do at a time like this,” Kasumi, the blonde Dominion Tribune who had guided them through several missions, said sadly as she stood next to Tachinami. “I would say we might actually be better off relying on you cadets.”

    “According to Arch Sorceress Al-Rashia, the Rursus are far stronger than we imagine,” another nearby Dominion Tribune commented. “She advised that we do not attempt to engage them, but I fear it might already be too late for some.”

    “I’ll never forget the dying shrieks I heard over the COMM,” Tachinami mumbled, his arms crossed as his dark bangs hung over his eyes. “All of them were crying out to me, and I was powerless to help...I’ll never forgive myself!”

    “Hey there, guys!”

    Turning at the sound of another voice, Ace, Deuce, and Queen saw Naghi approaching them, his burgundy brown bandana and cape slightly more tattered than the last time they had seen the Class Ninth operative that often worked with them. “What are you doing in the war room at a time like this?” asked Ace, somewhat glad to see their familiar friend yet uncertain of what the spy could be doing in Central Command given how Naghi usually avoided the room.

    “I’m here _because_ it’s a time like this!” Naghi answered, a fretful hand up against his bandana. “We’re in trouble: the chancellor’s missing!”

    “What!?” Queen exclaimed.

    “It’s like, how can he leave us during this crisis—right!?” rambled Naghi. “I can’t contact the consortium, and I can’t even get a hold of Dr. Arecia.”

    “Mother, too!?” Ace asked.

    Naghi spread his arms with a shrug. “At first I thought the Rursus got ‘em, but then I realized I still remember them, so they must be alive.”

    “So, in that case, who’s taken charge of the dominion?” inquired Queen.

    “That’s the problem. ...No one.” Naghi sighed, putting his hands down. “The chain of command is completely shot, so I thought I’d at least take over here.”

    Clearing his throat, Ace fixed his gaze on Naghi. “So what’s the situation?”

    “Bad. Those Rursus things are attacking Rubrum as we speak. The cadets who went to fend ‘em off are helpless against them. A lot of ‘em are dead.”

    “Dominion cadets...dead?” Queen murmured worriedly.

    Of course, they had seen many of the deaths for themselves when they arrived, but the scale that Naghi was talking about was far beyond what they had seen at Akademeia alone. If what he was referring to was a nationwide battle against the Rursus, the death toll would be in the hundreds, counting all the cadets that had been fit for battle, and even more with civilians involved.

    “From what I’ve heard, it looks like Rursus destroy phantoma in living people,” Naghi reported.

    “So we can’t heal them?” Ace questioned.

    “You can see how we lost so many,” replied Naghi.

    “We have to do something—fast,” concluded Queen, placing a hand against the side of her glasses as she considered their options.

    With another sigh, Naghi nodded. “Well, you won’t get any orders. You can only rely on yourself and your allies. I might get more information. Stop by again later. This is just about all I can do. Believe me: I’m just as anxious to get my hands on some intel regarding those Rursus as you kids are. If you learn anything new, be a pal and send some of that info my way, won’t you? Still, it’s pretty crazy that enormous sanctuary just arose from the depths of the ocean like that. This old world of ours is just full of mysteries, isn’t it?”

    Though they had learned quite a bit about the situation and the Rursus, the information was hardly reassuring. Wordlessly, Ace, Deuce, and Queen walked out of Central Command, each pondering their next course of action. The old, bearded Tribune that stood in front of the great portal glanced at them as they approached.

    “The Rursus descended upon Akademeia without so much as a warning and infiltrated these sacred halls, easily defying the magic of the Vermillion Bird said to protect us from harm,” he rumbled, drawing their attention. “You bore witness to their power, did you not? Those fiends could teleport around the field with frightening facility. Run as you might, you cannot escape. Given that most of our personnel had departed for Ingram, it was nothing short of a miracle that we were able to contend with those monsters at all. I fear all hope is lost for the townsfolk…”

    “We should regroup with the others,” said Ace in a low voice, earning nods of agreement from both girls. “We don’t have much time to act if what Naghi said is true.”

    When they returned to Classroom Zero, the others had already arrived and were standing around the room, the mood considerably more solemn than any other time they had all been in there. War was one thing—they could fight soldiers and wildlife easily enough—but these otherworldly creatures that slaughtered people indiscriminately were something else completely.

    “Supposing that the Rursus, do, in fact, destroy phantoma—the essence of life itself—how might we go about contending with such dangerous foes?” Trey mumbled to himself, deep in thought. “I suspect that the tribunes at Central Command must have been able to gather a few shards of intel, though I remain skeptical regarding its utility.”

    “So what exactly are those Rursus things, anyway?” asked Sice.

    Nine grunted. “Yo, are they really that tough?”

    “They’re super tough!” Cinque answered, nodding vigorously. “So tough, they make me feel like I’m a weakling.”

    Letting out a huff of disbelief, Sice shook her head slightly. “This is what it must feel like to finally meet your match.”

    “You serious?” Nine balked, Sice’s words startling him.

    Cinque raised her hand. “And now I have more sad news! First went to Concordia, and now their signal’s kaput!”

    “We can’t get in touch with ‘em, hey?”

    “So the Rursus ate ‘em?” Sice inquired quietly.

    The depressed tone of both girls getting to him, Nine growled, throwing up a hand and waving it dismissively. “That ain’t our problem, hey! First got beat—so what? We just gotta kick the snot outta those Rursus! If Class Zero gangs up on ‘em, they’ll be toast! We’ll eat ‘em for breakfast!”

    A small smirk made its way onto Sice’s lips. “Y’know, for once your trash talk actually makes me feel better.”

    “Even Mr. Zhuyu Man wasn’t able to beat those Rursus things. They must be super-duper strong,” murmured Cinque, still not quite convinced. “What are we supposed to do? I wish Mother were here. She would make all the Rursus go bye-bye!”

    “Looks like it’s us versus the Rursus. Things couldn’t get any worse-us, yo,” Nine grunted. “Who do they think they are, anyway, barging in here like that? They’re gonna learn that once you mess with Agito, you’re finito, yo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness, it has been a while. Sorry for the wait, everyone. This ending has been a bit of a struggle to write and I've been trying to work at it whenever I can manage. My summer turned out to be much busier than I thought it would be, but worry not, I haven't forgotten!
> 
> This chapter was kind of a strange one. In game, we're forced to go on foot from Milites back to Akademeia, and I just...don't see why, other than giving you kind of an unsettling feeling about everything going into the last chapters of the game. And I really wanted to elaborate on Class Zero's thoughts on the beginning of Tempus Finis and everything, but if they spend like...days hoofing it back to Akademeia, the pacing would be really odd. Or maybe I just think about these things too much, haha.


	16. The Final Page

    “Oh yeah, I should tell you something...” said Naghi, drawing the attention of the teenagers.

    After consulting with the rest of Class Zero, Ace and Queen had led them into Central Command to formulate a plan. As much as they knew about the Rursus now, they were still at a loss about what to do. Even though Dr. Arecia had told them to choose for themselves, it simply wasn’t in their training to make these types of decisions.

    “...That empire guy, Cid—he went into that temple.”

    Seven shifted her stance, a mildly surprised look on her face. “Cid?”

    “What is he thinking?” questioned Eight.

    “I dunno. I couldn’t even guess—huh?” Naghi stopped suddenly, the ringing of the COMM in his ear cutting off his train of thought. “What’s up?”

    Immediately, the Intel officer on the other end of the COMM came on the line, his panicked voice putting everyone on edge. “The airship! We can’t even get close to the temple! We’ll be wiped out at this rate! N-No! Somebody help us!”

    With a crackle, the COMM then went silent and Naghi put his hand to the earpiece, calling for a response. “Hey! What happened? Respond! Dang! What about the others?” Turning to the map set before them at the front of the room, Naghi scanned the blinking lights shown on the display. “No good! Don’t tell me they were all wiped out!?” He then turned to the group. “You guys—stay away from there!”

    “‘Only the chosen may enter that land…’” murmured Queen, putting her hand to her chin, deep in thought, and causing Trey and Ace to pause and look at her. “‘The chosen will touch all creation, and obtain that which is truth.’”

    “‘It is reason outside of reason—the reason of Agito,’” Trey continued, mirroring her stance.

    Queen gave a small nod. “‘It is power—the authority of Agito.’”

    Trey breathed in. “‘And the sage proclaims:’”

    “‘In all things, there is meaning.’”

    “‘In all things, mourning will end.’”

    “‘Make your choice: will you choose reason, or the power of kings?’”

    “‘I will become Agito.’”

    Putting his fingers against his chin thoughtfully, Ace swallowed and took a breath. “‘I will sound the knell to shake all the world...When nine and nine meet nine, the depths of reason shall stir. When the seal of creation is broken, a voice like thunder shall sound, and thou shalt know—we have arrived.’”

    “What’s that?” asked Cinque quizzically.

    “It’s a passage from the Nameless Tome,” Queen responded, her voice soft.

    Eyes widening, Eight turned to Queen. “Are you saying Cid’s going to be Agito!?”

    “Not necessarily.” Queen adjusted her glasses, as she was sometimes wont to do when she was nervous. “I only remembered it because the situation is similar.”

    “A little TOO similar,” retorted Cater, crossing her arms.

    “If Cid were to become Agito…” Seven said quietly.

    Deuce squeezed Ace’s hand, her mind and heart racing as worry and anxiety crept into her body. “What will happen to the dominion?”

    “I guess we can’t just simply ignore this,” commented Eight.

    Silence fell over the group. The Rursus were one problem, but Cid becoming Agito was another. There was too much for them to do and not nearly enough time. They wouldn’t be able to save everyone—choices had to be made.

    “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you all…” Queen announced, crossing her arms and breaking the silence after a few moments of contemplation. She adjusted her glasses again. “It’s a matter of great import. We should...go to the Altocrystarium.”

 

* * *

 

    “So...what did you want to tell us?” inquired Ace, an impeccably impassive look on his face as the others gathered around him and Queen.

    Hand at the side of her glasses, Queen looked around at the group and then back to Ace. “It’s about the temple that appeared behind the peristylium.”

    “You know about that?” Eight asked.

    Bringing her hand down, Queen put her hands together in front of her abdomen. The fact that she was uncharacteristically fidgety said much about how nervous she was, a sentiment mirrored by everyone else as well. “The Land of Judgment—Pandæmonium. Inside that temple resides a Judge, waiting to perform the Final Judgment and determine whether Agito has been born into the world.”

    “Does the vast number of Rursus have something to do with it, too?” Trey questioned.

    “Yes,” said Queen with a nod. “They are to eradicate the world if there is no Agito. Depending on the outcome of the Final Judgment, they might go away.”

    “‘Might’?” Seven raised an eyebrow.

    “Yes. Nothing is written beyond the Judgment,” explained Queen, eyes drifting to the stone tome and slowly rotating device behind them in the Altocrystarium.

    The Akashic Records that Queen was referring to were vague at best, based on what Ace could remember from the few times he had helped Queen in here. What was written, or at least what Queen would read and they could understand at the time, was how the world would be plunged into war and how the Final Judgment to determine whether Agito had appeared would occur, but they hadn’t known which nation would emerge victorious or that the Final Judgment would come after the war was over. Not that anything would have changed if they had known. As Mother had said, they were fated to follow whatever path had been laid out for them, until now.

    “That’s the last page Mother was talking about!” Cater exclaimed.

    “Yes,” Queen agreed.

    “So what should we do?” King asked, causing Queen to turn to him.

    “You should know that’s not my decision to make,” responded Queen, crossing her arms briefly before bringing her hand out to express her inquiry. “Everyone: what do YOU want to do?”

    Jack tilted his head slightly. “Huh? What do we want to do?”

    “Hey, what does the Judge want to do?” inquired Cinque curiously. “Why is he judging?”

    “‘What does the Judge want to do?’” Queen put her hand to her chin, considering the question. “That’s a good question… He would want to complete the Focus the Crystals gave him—or so I would think.”

    “Hmmm… But it’s not like WE gave him the Focus,” Cinque pointed out.

    Letting out a couple sardonic laughs, Sice put a hand to her hip. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. So he’s gonna erase the world if there’s no Agito? Hah! I don’t ever remember saying that was okay.”

    “So what do we do?” questioned Deuce, moving closer to Ace for comfort. “Save the dominion—the world—from the Rursus?”

    “No way. We’re just cadets!” Jack put up a hand, waving it dismissively as he turned his head to the side. “We can’t save the world!”

    “Well, whether or not we’re ‘just cadets,’ we’ve never gone into battle without receiving orders before,” Ace muttered, deep in thought.

    Seven nodded. “So we have to decide how our last page is to be written, huh?”

    “Now what?” Eight leaned forward slightly with a shrug. “I mean, let’s face it: it’s not like we have a lot of options. Do we face the Rursus and protect Rubrum?”

    “Or do we just wait here until they completely annihilate the dominion?” asked Trey.

    “How about forgetting all this and running away?” Jack suggested.

    Cater gave a small yet confident grin. “If that Judge or whatever he’s called is calling the shots, we could go beat him up, right?”

    “Yo, I like that,” answered Nine. “It’s simple—like going on a mission! Besides, protecting people ain’t my thing. I’d rather knock some teeth out!”

    “‘When one other than Agito stands before the Judge, his life will return to nothing,’” Queen recited, hand back up to adjust her glasses.

    “Huh?” Nine huffed.

    “That’s what written in the Nameless Tome,” replied Queen. “If what the Tome says is true, then becoming Agito might be the only way to get to the Judge.”

    Trey sighed. “Yet were becoming Agito such a simple feat, then I think someone would have done it by now.”

    “Indeed.” Queen crossed her arms, turning to Nine. “However, have you by chance forgotten that Mother is gone now?”

    “Oh! That’s right,” murmured Deuce, hands clutched in front of her chest. “Without Mother’s assistance, we can’t wake up after losing in battle…”

    “Yeah, you’re right…” Crossing her arms loosely, Cater lowered her gaze. “We’ve never had to fight a battle without Mother’s help before.”

    Eyes narrowing just slightly, Ace gave Cater an incredulous look. Cater had never been one to back down from a challenge, but faced with mortality, even she would hesitate, it seemed. “So we just sit quietly and die with Rubrum?”

    “We can divide our responsibilities and carry out the healing ourselves,” King rumbled.

    Nine gave a huff of approval. “Nice idea!”

    “Have you forgotten? Wounds inflicted by the Rursus destroy phantoma,” Queen said quietly. “There is no way to heal that.”

    “Hah! So whatever we choose, we end up dead,” Sice sneered, crossing her arms. “It’s like she told us to choose how to die.”

    “Choosing how to die?” Cinque chirped thoughtfully, finger on her cheek as she considered the statement. “Well, doesn’t that mean that we can also be choosing how to survive?”

    At that, the group went silent, everyone turning and gawking at Cinque with mouths agape in surprise. Cinque, for once, had a point. Moments passed before King and Ace both gave a chuckle and the others followed suit.

    “Y’know, you can be pretty clever sometimes,” Cater remarked.

    Suddenly, their COMMs beeped and they heard Moglin’s voice in their earpieces. “Atten-hut! Dost I sense something approaching the entrance, kupo!?”

    Fearing the worst, the teenagers rushed to the entrance, ready to summon their weapons at a moment’s notice. Perhaps they wouldn’t have time to decide if the battle had come to them.

    Gasps went through the group as they spotted the familiar figure at the entrance. The last time they had seen her, the Battle of Judecca, she had tried to kill them under the orders of the Azure Crystal and like back then, the mark on her shoulder was glowing a silvery blue. They hadn’t expected to see her again, not after everything that had happened. She turned her head and her eyes focused on them.

    “Celestia, is that you?” asked Ace carefully, hand on his satchel ready to move.

    With a slight nod of her head, Celestia looked up at them. “Cid has gained that which is truth in the Land of Judgment.”

    “No way. Cid is Agito!?” Eight exclaimed in a hushed tone, as to not alert any of the other cadets or legionaries in the entrance hall.

    “If you would go there as well, I shall be your escort,” stated Celestia.

    “Why?” Seven inquired suspiciously.

    “The Land of Judgment cannot be reached by mere mortals. Only a l’Cie can open the way,” Celestia replied in explanation, though her voice stayed ever impassive. “The Vermillion Peristylium currently has no l’Cie, so I will act in their stead.”

    “Hah! I bet it’s a trap!” Sice huffed.

    “This is a choice that I have made. All of you may choose to do as you please. There isn’t much time left, however, for you to debate the matter,” said Celestia, the glow on her l’Cie mark fading as she finished the statement. “I am only able to retain my human consciousness for the present while the Dragon remains unharmed. In the southwest seas, the sanctuary of death has arisen. Beyond the reach of mortals, it waits. If it’s a path to Pandæmonium you seek, passage thither shall I grant… Yet these words you had best well heed: from nowhere, nothing shall return. In case the memory of your life should fade, let now your peace be made.”

 

* * *

 

    “Even in spite of everything that has happened between us, Lady Celestia still offered her assistance…” Deuce said softly as the group stood in their classroom to discuss their decision. “She truly is a kind soul. Everyone around us has refused to surrender, so we cannot give in, either… I believe we have a decision to make.”

    Celestia’s words had left them all in a state of deep contemplation. They were going to Pandæmonium—that much was clear. After all, they had little other choice. But death had never been as close as it was now, against these enemies that destroyed not only bodies but souls.

    “Ain’t likely that you cross paths with someone more than once,” King commented, arms crossed as he stared forward stoically. “Guess that’s fate. We ain’t got much time. Better make the most of what we got left.”

    “Cid Aulstyne and those Rursus really made a mess of things. Looks like we’re the ones who get to do the dirty work and clean up after ‘em, yo,” Nine added, putting a fist on the table. “I kinda think it’s better that we go this one alone. I want the satisfaction of beating the snot outta those creepy things myself, yo.”

    “We mustn’t act rashly. It would be the pinnacle of foolishness to engage an enemy against whom we are almost certain to lose,” Trey said calmly. “...That said, should the twelve of us combine our efforts as a team, perhaps our chances of emerging victorious are not so slim after all."

    “Do you think we’ll ever get to see Machy and Remski again?” asked Cinque quietly, hands against her cheeks as her elbows rested on the desk. “I miss them already… I feel like I didn’t get to know them at all. Aww, Cinquey’s feeling all bluesy-woosy…”

    Jack tilted his head. “I’ve gotta hand it to Rem. She did an amazing job of using a positive attitude to cover up her illness—y’know, aside from the whole ‘frequent fits of fierce coughing’ thing. She always used to say, ‘A smile is all it takes to weather the roughest storms now,’ but do you really think a grin is enough to deal with all this bloody rain? Nahhh.”

    “I knew that Rem was sick, but I also knew that she didn’t want anyone to worry, so I did my best to respect her wishes,” mumbled Seven, voice full of heavy emotion. “It must have been hard on her, though. battling that illness all on her own. I just wish there were something else I could have done for her…”

    “Hold up—since when was Rem practically on her deathbed!? I had absolutely no idea she was even that sick! If it was really that bad, why didn’t she say anything?” Cater grumbled, the irritation in her voice then giving way to a softer tone. “At least she’s okay for now...But now it’s up to us to clean up this mess so she can wake up to a better world.”

    Eight nodded. “I always suspected Machina resented us for the death of his brother, but I might have been wrong. I think he was actually upset that we couldn’t do anything to help Rem. More than anything, though, I think he was frustrated with himself—frustrated that he of all people couldn’t do anything to save her, either.”

    “I know I’ve always given Machina a hard time, but he’s got a good heart. He can empathize with the dead, and I admire that,” admitted Sice. “Now that it’s my head on the chopping block, I admit that I’m a little scared of being forgotten. I think I’m actually beginning to see why Machina got so upset over a brother he can’t remember.”

    “Still, I can’t help but regret not sitting down to talk with Machina about everything. I have often mocked Nine for his inanity, but I am afraid that no one has been more foolish than I,” Queen replied, a hint of scorn in her voice. “Of course, I hesitate to designate Machina as the paragon of good judgment, either. When all is said and done, this whole class is nothing but a bunch of fools.”

    A moment of silence passed through the group, all of them wordlessly sorting their thoughts and feelings. There was little else to discuss now. It was time.

    “We should...head out then,” Ace said, earning nods of agreement from the others.

    Just then, Moglin floated over to the twelve of them. “If Tempus Finis is truly upon us, then that means we’ll probably have to say goodbye soon, kupo…It was an honor serving you, Class Zero. I hope I made your time here just a little easier, kupo!”

    Each giving Moglin a small smile as they turned to go to the entrance hall, the teenagers marched up the middle aisle of the classroom. The air about them was somber, the feeling of sinking building gradually in the pits of their stomach as they made their way out. This mission was something that none of them were quite ready for, yet they were the only ones that could do it.

    It was hard not to be scared with the stakes on the table. If the fate of their nation wasn’t a heavy enough burden to bear, the fate of the world was certainly so, and the added danger with the enemies they had to face was all the more pressure. But it had to be them.

    “Ace…”

    Pausing at the sound of Deuce’s soft voice calling his name beside him, Ace stopped in his tracks. He watched as the others went ahead of the two of them, waiting until the group had left the hallway before turning to her. Once he laid eyes on her, he could feel his body immediately urging him forward to embrace her tightly, reassuringly. Even if he hadn’t been as emotionally entwined with her as only he could be, he would have been able to sense the fear and worry in her body.

    “Deuce…?”

    “...This...Lady Celestia said that we may not come back from this…” murmured Deuce softly, grasping the forearm of his sleeve with trembling fingers. “I know we’ve...we’ve all decided, but...I’m still scared.”

    “I think all of us are, at least to some degree,” Ace answered, putting a hand over the one she had over his forearm. “But we can’t just surrender, right?”

    “I just...I have a bad feeling about all of this, Ace.” Deuce bowed her head for a moment, thoughts and worries swirling in her mind. “If…”

    His arms came around her, drawing her in close as he let out a deep sigh. She didn’t need to voice her thoughts when they were so similar to his own. Not even a moment passed before her arms were around him as well, hands clutching at the back of his uniform jacket like she couldn’t bear to have the slightest distance between them. Part of it was for comfort, that much was certain, but another part was perhaps fear—fear that they wouldn’t have the chance to be like this again later.

    “No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side,” he promised, his voice low but clear in her ear. “As long as we’re together, all of us, we can make it. We’ll figure out a way.”

    She drew back slightly to look at him, eyes meeting before she pushed herself up to press her lips against his. Their kiss was brief, filled with both urgency and comforting warmth, and they could only lament that it couldn’t last longer. As they parted, he gave her one more firm embrace.

    “...I love you,” she whispered, taking in the feel of him, his arms, his body, strong and protective yet tender and loving around her. “I love you, Ace.”

    “I love you too, Deuce.” Ace released her, grabbing her hand once more and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Just...stay close to me. We’ll make it through this.”

    Nodding, Deuce squeezed his hand back. The fear and anxiety were still there, bubbling in her body—it was hard to truly be relaxed in such a situation, after all—but having Ace beside her was the most comfort she could ask for. As long as they were together, she could believe that they had a future.

    With that, the two of them walked into the entrance hall. The others were standing around, clearly waiting for them, but no one made any teasing remarks as Ace and Deuce stepped forward toward Celestia. It was a testament to how serious and somber the situation was.

    “To my warning you must give ear: if into Pandæmonium you choose to go, the luxury of returning you shall not receive,” Celestia cautioned once they stood before her.

    “We will go,” said Ace, a chorus of assenting nods behind him.

    “Spoken you have, and thus passage I shall provide,” answered Celestia, the glow of her l’Cie mark renewed. “For the sanctum of death, together we depart.”

    Eyes glowing a silvery blue, Celestia turned on her heel to face the entrance doors before throwing them open. She stepped out with Class Zero following behind her as Moglin floated to the doors, watching them depart.

    “You all had better make it back here in one piece, kupo! Do you hear me? I’ll be waiting for every single last one of you—and I mean it, kupo!”

 

* * *

 

    “This place…”

    Pandæmonium was a world all in its own. Though they had seen it from afar when they returned to Akademeia, being in front of it now gave a completely different feel. The temple stood silent, though the burning light above it and the flames that surrounded the pool of crimson liquid in front of it crackled with energy. Of all the places they had seen in Orience, this one was undeniably the strangest. With the crimson skies above and the black seas below, it was an eerie yet formidable sight.

    A croaky shriek from Celestia’s monsterized dragon form rang out behind them just then, reminding them of the burden and faith that had been placed on their shoulders. “My hatred lingers. But now I wish to believe in the future…” Celestia had said in explanation of her choice to bring them here.

    Little had they known that the choices of others—Dr. Arecia, Chancellor Khalia Chival, the Consortium of Rubrum, Queen Andoria of Concordia, Aria, Qator Bashtar, countless soldiers and citizens, and now Celestia—had carried them to where they stood in the present. And now, they were to make their choice, and write the final page.

    “You have a choice to make! You are to choose your own paths! Follow the path in life to find your death!”

    The last words of the fallen Celestia fading in their minds, Class Zero turned to face the temple. Eyes scanning the area, Ace took a deep breath. There were no entrances in front of them, only to the two sides. He could only presume the temple was designed to test them, perhaps by forcing a separation.

    _“Ahhh, could this be fate?”_

    Just then, an old, familiar voice echoed from the temple. The last time they had heard it was almost a year ago, during Milites’s first attack that started the war and the liberation of Akademeia that had revealed their existence to the world. Had it been anyone else, their voice would have long been forgotten in time for the cadets, but they had been fighting the man behind it ever since.

    _“Our paths have never crossed, but I know who you are.”_

    “Cid Aulstyne…” muttered Eight, clenching his fists.

    _“You’re the pawns of that woman—the one who has crossed the White Tiger. Very well. I shall be the one to pass Judgment on you.”_

    “You know about Mother?” Ace asked, hand ready to draw his cards at a moment’s notice.

    Trey looked up, the whirling flames of the golden sigil above the temple almost too bright for even him. “I never anticipated that our fight with Cid would turn out like this.”

    “Who do you think you are?” huffed Cater.

    _“Within my dark clutches, you shall die a slow death.”_

    Following a click, flaring blue mist filled the entrances to either side, causing the class to reflexively tense in response to the magical energy from the newly formed portals. Ace turned his head to look at the right one, and then the left. “Let’s split up and take them out one by one.”

    Taking a step toward the left entrance, Ace watched as Deuce, Queen, Nine, Eight, and Cater followed behind him, while King, Trey, Jack, Cinque, Sice, and Seven walked toward the other. The teenagers paused, looking back at the other group for a moment.

    “We’ll see you guys there,” Jack managed, earning nods of agreement from his group.

    “Yeah, just don’t keep us waiting,” retorted Cater.

    The clinking of armor greeted them on the other side and Ace narrowed his eyes. This area was much like the previous, a large pool of crimson accented by flames in front of the building and another archway at the end of their stone path along the pool.

    _“Time for Judgment.”_

    A Rursus, much like the one they had seen at Akademeia, appeared, seemingly to walk above the surface of the pool as it approached them. They had learned since the first time they had seen these monsters and they were prepared this time. The battle didn’t even last a minute.

    “Yeah,” Ace mumbled to himself, the harvested phantoma from the Rursus vanishing in his hand.

    _“You are now authorized to proceed.”_

 

* * *

 

    “Let’s go,” ordered Ace as they walked into the next room.

    In stark contrast to the burning light outside of the temple, the inside was dark, the dull red glint of the temple’s mechanisms glowing ominously in the blackness. The floor seemed to ripple with energy, waves of light moving across the floor on either side of the path that led to the other door, and voices seemed to echo through the chambers of the temple, speaking familiar yet ominous words. The cadets stepped carefully, unsure of what to expect in this strange place.

    “This wasn’t quite what I was expecting when I read about this temple…” Queen commented, adjusting her glasses once they approached the other door. “Even though there was scant information about it outside of its role during Tempus Finis.”

    “Can’t have expected Cid coming here either,” added Eight, arms crossed thoughtfully.

    “What’s it matter?” Nine asked. “We just gotta take ‘em all out, yeah?”

    “That’s one way to look at it,” said Cater with a smirk.

    Letting out another grunt, Nine shrugged before taking the lead. Before anyone else could speak, the mechanism on the exit gave an echoing ring and the light on it turned, opening the doors.

    _“This should be easy for you.”_

    Suddenly, a laser shot past Nine, almost grazing his leg. “What the hell, yo?!”

    “Shots from the walls!” Eight shouted, ducking to avoid another shot. “Move!”

    Perhaps, in a way, Cid was correct. They were familiar with the motions here, almost too familiar, minds automatically predicting trajectories and bodies shifting correspondingly to dodge the shots. The Militesi had used plenty of machine guns and lasers on their magitek armors as well as the guns that the foot soldiers carried. There was nothing like real life experience in war to supplement long, hard years of training, after all.

    “Keep moving!” ordered Ace, ushering the others forward. “Don’t stop until we’re clear!”

    At that, the cadets broke out in a dash, ducking and weaving to avoid the attacks. As they moved across the room, the lasers only seemed to come more quickly, pushing them toward the exit faster until they came to a screeching halt at the door.

    “Ace, wall!” Queen yelled, causing the card wielder to summon a barrier to block the shots as they waited for the door to lift.

    “We already came this way…” muttered Ace when they entered the next room, which was perfectly identical to the one they were just in.

    The shots started again.

    _“Only through the avoidance of suffering can one break the unending cycle.”_

    “Go, go, go!” Cater called out, sprinting forward with Eight to draw the enemy’s fire. “Come on!”

    Once they reached the end of the room, the shots abruptly stopped and the group stopped to catch their breaths. The door lifted and Cid chuckled.

    _“You have been spared.”_

    Stepping forward into the next corridor, Ace paused. While the previous two rooms had been bathed in a shade of red, this place was just dark and gray—perhaps the most worldly architecture they had seen in this otherworldly temple thus far. Three large semicircular windows sat on the wall to the left, the light spilling in from them bright and remarkably not crimson-hued.

    “Ace!” exclaimed Deuce, her gaze toward the nearest window as she grasped Ace’s sleeve. “I think…it looks like...”

    “Is this Milites?” Ace breathed out, a sense of awe and surprise in his voice. “Look at that!”

    It appeared to be Ingram, for once devoid of snow falling on its buildings and ground. A few drones flitted back and forth in the air above the streets, but the tall buildings stood silent, the place seeming even more lifeless than the last times they had gone there. It was as if the final battle had sapped all the life from the city. Perhaps this was even the state of Ingram after the Rursus had appeared.

    “Surely this is only an illusion,” Queen commented, adjusting her glasses. “We couldn’t possibly be in Milites.”

    “That would make sense,” agreed Eight, brow furrowed in thought. “Still, why here?”

    “Who cares, heh?” Nine grunted. “It ain’t our problem.”

    “...Yeah...we should keep moving,” said Ace in a low voice, letting out a sigh and pushing aside the feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Need to find the others as soon as possible.”

    With that, the teenagers turned away from the windows and made their way to the end of the hallway, entering a misty blue portal that resembled the one they had taken to enter the temple. Squirting at the change in lighting, they walked through into the shadows of the temple again.

    “Ugh, this again,” groaned Cater.

    The room they stepped into was similar to the ones before, the red gleam of the temple’s contraptions and the ripples of energy moving along the ground a sharp contrast with the darkness. Carefully, they stepped across the stone tiled floor toward the other side of the room, weapons drawn and in hand in preparation for their next trial.

    “Nothing to say?” Eight questioned, looking around. “Strange.”

    “Maybe he’s harassing the others,” Cater responded, a frown on her face.

    “I hope...they’re all okay,” murmured Deuce.

    Placing his hand on the stone doors that should have been their exit, Ace narrowed his eyes. “It’s not moving. Where are we going?”

    “Over there, perhaps?” Queen suggested, gesturing to a large opening in the left wall that was bathed in red mist. “It could be another portal.”

    “Let’s go then.”

 

* * *

 

    “Hey, everyone’s back!” chirped Cinque, jogging ahead toward the other group.

    “Leave it to Cinque to be so cheery and energetic after all that,” King said with a small chuckle, letting his revolvers dematerialize from his hands.

    Nodding at Cinque, King, Jack, Trey, Seven, and Sice as they approached, Ace breathed in deeply at the feel of Deuce’s hand grabbing his reassuringly. Though he tried his best to conceal his concern for the others and focus on the mission at hand, he couldn’t help but heave a thankful sigh when he saw them on the other side of the next chamber. Squeezing Deuce’s hand back gently, he could feel the relief in both of their bodies at the sight of the others re-joining them safely.

    “Everyone okay?” Queen asked, eyebrow raised at a cut in King’s tunic.

    “We’re just fine!” answered Jack, hands on the back of his head relaxedly. “Just ran into some nasties along the way! A couple of those Rursus, an invisible something-or-another, no biggie!”

    “Heh? Sounds like more fun than what we had to deal with,” Nine huffed, crossing his arms. “We just had lasers shot at us for a couple minutes.”

    “Seems like the trials were quite different for us,” Seven remarked. “But luckily, we’re all okay.”

    Trey placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “We also saw Rubrum...engulfed in flames. There was a Golem moving through the streets, but other than that...no people.”

    “...We saw Milites,” replied Eight. “No people there either.”

    “Bah, don’t think too hard about it,” Sice said, waving a hand dismissively. “It couldn’t have been the actual place.”

    “Indeed.” Queen turned toward the other side of the chamber, the dimly lit columns with glowing red flowing down their sides on either side of their path. “We should focus on doing what we can here.”

    All of the sudden, the voice of a woman echoed through their minds, causing all of the cadets to stop in their tracks. The voice was strange, ethereal yet familiar, and they couldn’t help but listen.

    **“I seek a strong heart, worthy to be a l’Cie. A query: wilt thou become a l’Cie and protect me, the Vermillion Bird?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we're in Pandaemonium proper and racing to the end. And my weirdness about finishing things is really hitting me hard. Does anyone else have that? I will absolutely pound through like, a game or a story or whatever I really like, but then I'll just stop right before the end for a long time because I just really don't want it to end. It's a super weird thing. 
> 
> The next update will be a little bit bigger to finish out the fic, but we're almost there!


End file.
